Spider and Snake REQUESTS CLOSED
by Karmitara
Summary: A collection of one shots for an unlikely friendship between everyone's favorite Spider and Snake. Requests CLOSED until further notice!
1. On a Scale of 1 to 10

**I read this thing from tumblr and needed to make a story out of it... It's highly illogical that anything like this would ever happen, but this is fanfiction - anything is possible! *insert Spongebob meme***

 **Post Infinity War**

Once everything had slowed down after Thanos, after the dust had settled (no pun intended) and everything was starting to go back to normal, Peter realized that he had been staying in the same building as Earth's first evil alien invader. But Loki wasn't trying to take over Earth again it seemed? At least not openly. Mr. Thor seemed to think pretty highly of his brother, so maybe he turned good?

Upon closer look, Loki seemed pretty cool. He was quiet and almost shy around the Avengers and other heroes that were staying in the compound, but Peter could hear Thor laughing at some of the jokes the trickster told in private. The boy found himself wanting to meet Loki more and more...

It wasn't until a week later that fate saw fit to let the two together. Peter had been working with Tony in the labs when he'd gotten hungry. Tony sent him on a food run while the man went to get some blueprints he left in his car.

Entering the kitchen area, Peter hesitated slightly at seeing Loki leaning against a counter and drinking coffee. Loki seemed to be at peace with his eyes closed and mug held with both hands, Peter really didn't want to disturb him... but his stomach was growling and he couldn't resist the calling for food.

"H-Hi, Mr. god Loki sir," Peter greeted as he walked in. Loki's eyes opened, green orbs following the youth around.

"Greetings, boy," Was the somewhat cold reply.

Peter frowned. "Man. I'm Spider-Man, so I'm not a kid anymore."

Loki looked him up and down, holding his mug higher as he failed to hide a smirk. "If you say so."

The not-child nodded determinedly as he made his way over to the cabinets, starting to pull out chips and other junk foods. Silence filled the kitchen as the two minded their own business, though Peter still had something on his mind.

"So... aren't you like... a bad guy?" Peter asked warily, not wanting to offend the god as he balanced the overloaded bags in his arms.

Loki simply shrugged as he drank his coffee, "It varies from moment to moment."

The enhanced boy nodded slowly in thought, "So like... on a scale from one to ten -ten being the worst evil imaginable, like... killing puppies, and one being 'I'll spit on your hot dog'; Where are you right now?"

Loki's eyebrows pushed together in slight confusion and wonderment, having never thought of things like this before. "Maybe a three?"

Peter gave a smile and nodded again. "Cool. Lemme know if it gets above a six."

"Peter!" Tony called, waving some blue papers in the air from the doorway, "Do you want to work on these designs or not? If you don't hurry, I'll do it without you...!"

The boy's eyes brightened as he started running to his mentor. "Yeah! I'll be right there!" He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Loki, "It was nice meeting you!"

Loki watched him leave, his expression giving away nothing until he was sure that he was alone in the room once again. A smirk slowly made its way on his face as he chuckled, "I like him."

It was a joke, Loki knew that. He wasn't meant to take the boy up on it. But living around such creatures as Midgardians was very stressful for him and his inability to do what he wanted. He tried to control himself, to be good around the weak humans, but it was too much sometimes.

And one day, at a party filled with idiotic people, Loki had sought out a small brunette that was by the food table.

"Six," He muttered, swiping a shrimp away from the youth. Peter looked up at him, his eyes shining in understanding as he set his plate down and pulled Loki away from the crowd.

Loki didn't talk, even when Peter offered to listen to his problems. They sat on the roof of the Compound for a while before Peter started to tell tales of his school life.

It was boring. Absolutely dreadful; Loki was worried that his ears would bleed halfway through Peters's speech. But, against all odds, it worked. Loki was calmer than before and no longer felt like stabbing the flirtatious blonde from the party.

It continued for a while, Loki would mutter six or seven on some of his bad days and Peter would take him somewhere to clear his mind. It started out as the roof for the longest time, but they both grew bored of that pretty quickly. So Peter decided to pick a new spot around NYC for each new 'therapy session'.

"This looks vile..."

Peter laughed as he took a bite from his hot dog, "it's the New Yorker way! You can't stay in New York anymore if you don't try it!"

"Do you promise?" Loki smirked at the boy, then scowled and turned away. "Please don't talk with food in your mouth, that's even worse than this smell."

The boy lunged his arm out, attempting to stuff the food into Loki's face, but the god quickly moved away and took a bite from his own free will.

"Well?"

"This is horrible...!" Loki squinted down at the hot dog in his hands, his nose crinkled in disgust. "How can you eat this?"

"Hey, don't hate it just because you don't like it! This is the food of my people!"

Loki rolled his eyes as he stared out over the skyline of New York. Him and Peter sat in silence for a while simply enjoying the quiet presence of the other, the comfort they offered each other.

There was a rustling of paper as Loki took another bite of his food. Peter turned to smirk at him, meeting a cold glare from Loki.

"Don't even start. I hadn't eaten all day, the risk of poisoning is better than starvation."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Loki," The kid teased, knowing for a fact that Loki had eaten earlier.

Loki, against his will, found himself getting attached to the boy. It was like he had a younger brother now, though some could argue that Thor acted like a child at times too. But Loki didn't feel the need to stab this brother, not even to slightly mime him. Which was weird.

Peter helped the Asgardian a lot in coping with his new 'good guy' habits. He gave Loki reasons why it was good to help people, why it was better to have people singing your praises of their free will than by force. Loki had to admit... it did sound nice.

Though, there were times when his temper really struggled to comply with the laws...

"She just hit the child again, even after I told her to stop!" Loki yelled, glaring down into the streets as his mind replayed the days events.

"Yeah... it's against the law to abuse children here, but a lot of adults still do it," Peter sighed. "The world would definitely be better off without them."

"I'm actually glad you said that, because-"

A loud crash cut Loki off, the two males turned to look at the door of the abandoned building they were in, Peter quickly pulling his mask back down. "Well look what we have here!" Someone shouted, his voice rough and filled with malice.

Peter felt his senses go off, the shadows in the building now alive with movement. They were surrounded.

"A spider and snake hanging out in our building!" Another voice chimed in, sounding much like the first.

"Your building?" Loki asked, glancing around, "your name isn't on it. But my, you really outdid yourselves in decorating."

Peter snorted, trying to cover it up with a cough. He really loved this side of Mr. Loki.

"You think that's funny, Spider-Boy?"

"Just a bit, yeah," Peter grinned behind his mask, tilting his head to the side with his hands on his hips. "I could recommend a few things though, this place is really dreary. Maybe set up a TV area, some furniture- ooh! A fireplace would be perfect!"

There was suddenly a loud bang filling the air and assaulting Peter's sensitive ears. He flinched back slightly but realized a second too late that he was just shot at and should have moved completely out of the way.

The bullet pierced his shoulder, sending him onto his back on the dirty floor. Oh, that hurt even more...

"Peter!"

Loki looked back at the young boy that was whimpering on the ground while clutching his shoulder, blood already starting to pool around him. He looked back at the men that pointlessly tried hiding in the shadows, frowning deeply as they laughed at Peter's weak form.

Loki's already bad day just took a turn for the worse, but he wasn't even going to try and stop it this time. He sent a quick glance to Peter as he shouted, "Kid, it's a ten!"

Peter lifted his head up slightly, his eyes widening as he started to get up. "Oh sh- Evacuate the city! Mayday! Mayday! Get the civilians to safety!"

The bad guys all seemed confused as they glanced to each other, none of them expecting the sudden attack from a very angry god of mischief. Peter watched, flinching now and then as he imagined the pain those men must be going through. They shot him, but he still felt sorry for them...

They were all on the floor in a matter of seconds, various groans of pain leaving them as they tried to crawl away only to be met with Loki's foot on their backs.

"Geez, Mr. Loki, I didn't know you cared so much about me," Peter smirked, overcoming his initial shock of the beat down while trying to ignore the burning pain in his shoulder.

"Be quiet, child," Loki murmured as he knelt next to the boy. "Let me see your shoulder, I have to make sure it didn't hit anything."

Peter stayed silent, a weak smirk on his lips as Loki felt around his shoulder. When the trickster saw the expression, he quickly looked back down at the wound, "Don't give me that look. We both know that Stark won't be happy with either of us if you bleed out."

Peter suddenly remembered about Mr. Stark's rule of 'no getting shot' and groaned, letting his head fall back against the ground. "Dammit... And Karen will probably upload this into his data."

Loki, even without seeing the boy's face, felt his distress. Stark was rather prone to panicking when Peter was hurt, especially after the Snap. He didn't blame the child for wanting to hide this information. Though, Loki knew that humans were weak and couldn't handle as much as one might think they could.

"Come, we should bring you back." Loki helped Peter stand and started their slow pace back to the compound. Imagine the cabby's surprise when the god of mischief and Spider-Man stepped inside; Peter actually laughed as the man offered to take them to the hospital or to get something to eat. Loki, having just started to come down from his earlier rage, felt his annoyance building again.

"Five..." Loki whispered as the cab driver tried taking a picture while still driving.

Peter chuckled as he raised his not-bloodstained hand up to gain the excited driver's attention, "Sorry, but could you let us off here? Someone's coming to take us the rest of the way."

Lots of convincing later, the taxi driver was still alive and on his way.

"I can't believe you almost pulled a knife on him." Peter scowled as he leaned against a tree, his hand holding his wound.

"He wouldn't leave us, I had to find some way to make him go away," Loki shrugged, putting his knife back in his sleeve.

"Yeah, but-"

"What's more, why are you sitting on the ground? We should be moving, it's still a long walk."

Peter blinked up at him and tilted his head, "Mr. Stark's bringing the car to get us."

Loki felt the urge to groan as he looked down the road, already hearing the roar of an engine. He would have hoped to have a little more time to collect himself...

"Hey, Mr. Loki?"

"What is it?"

It was silent for a while, Loki raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at the kid. His head was down, eyes cast on his lap as he let his hands drop. "Thank you for earlier, it meant a lot to know that you care."

Loki opened his mouth, the words stuck in his throat as he tried to think of what to say. He closed his mouth and looked around, seeing Tony's car almost there. He went to help Peter stand once again, finally giving his answer just as the car pulled up.

"Anytime, Peter."


	2. Mission to the North

Loki seemed to slowly fit in more when he was allowed to go on missions, thanks to Peter's suggestion. The team still had their doubts about him (most of them the victim of a prank at one point or another), but Peter managed to convince them to at least give it a chance.

To their surprise, it actually worked. The pranks at the compound stopped almost completely and missions went by smoother. Loki had become a very natural part of the team, making Thor very proud of his brother. The two of them were always on missions together now, and Peter was really happy for them... But he missed his buddy.

"Mr. Stark," Peter started, walking into the lab that his mentor was working in, "Can I ask you a favor?"

Tony stopped his work, looking over at the kid with a raised brow. When does Peter ask for anything? "Yeah, kid. Shoot."

He nervously messed with the strap on his backpack as he looked down and swallowed thickly, "I was wondering... could I go on the mission with Mr. Loki and Mr. Thor?"

"Absolutely not."

Peter faltered slightly, not expecting such an outright no. "But Mr. Stark-"

"No, Peter, they're not staying in New York. They're not even staying in America!"

"But are they staying on Earth?"

The two narrowed their eyes at each other as Tony turned back to his work desk, "The answer's still no, kid. You aren't going with them."

Peter groaned as he turned and left, marching to the elevator as dejected as he could. When Mr. Stark didn't call him back to apologize and let him go, Peter sighed and pulled his backpack off his shoulder and dug inside. He had other ways to achieve his goal.

He went down the halls of the top floor at the compound, his backpack slung over his shoulder again and a large book in his hands. He stopped at a door and took a breath before knocking

"Enter."

"Hey, Mr. Loki," Peter started, peeking his head into Loki's room. The trickster was laying across his bed, book in hand and a cup of tea on the dresser. He looked up at Peter with a raised eyebrow as he closed the book.

"What is it, child?"

Peter walked into the room more, a suspiciously large grin on his face. "Can I come with you and Mr. Thor on your mission?"

"What did Stark say?"

"He told me I couldn't go..." Peter looked down, shifting the book in his hands. Loki eyed the book with curiosity but shook it off.

"And so then why are you asking me?"

"Because he's not the boss of you."

Loki blinked once, then twice, then three times. It was a trap... It was a trap. This was definitely a trap. It was a trap and there was no way that he could get out of it. He couldn't fall for it... there had to be a way to-

"I also brought you the Harry Potter book that you wanted."

Loki's eyes went back to the book, narrowing slightly before holding his hand out. "Go pack your things, we leave at first light."

Peter cheered as he handed the book over, thanking Loki as he ran out the room and down the hall. Now all he had to do was sneak past Mr. Stark and he'd go on a mission with Loki and Thor! This was going to be awesome!

As Peter was packing, it occurred to him that he wasn't told where exactly they were going and he had no idea what to pack. But how bad could it really be? And really, did he actually need to pack anything? He was going to have his spider suit and that would be enough; so he would just pack one extra set of normal civilian clothes in case he got to go sightseeing.

He was packed within an hour, his homework and spare clothes tucked safely in his backpack. Now all he had to do was go to sleep and wait for the morning.

That wouldn't be easy...

Four hours later, Loki was standing in the boy's room and shaking him awake. The man was about to give up when Peter opened his eyes and jumped out of bed.

"I'm awake!"

" _Quiet_...!" Loki glared, holding his hand up, "Do you want Stark to find out about this?"

Peter went quiet as he nodded, his eyes almost sparkling in the dim light. Loki rolled his eyes as he turned and walked to the door.

"Get your stuff, we need to stow you away before anyone else wakes up."

"But won't Friday tell Mr. Stark?" Peter asked as he grabbed his backpack, following Loki.

The tall man turned back to give a mocking smirk, as if asking Peter 'who do you think I am, peasant?'. Peter laughed and grinned, silently following Loki to the ship.

He missed this so much. Loki was a great friend, Peter started to think of him as a brother even. A very fancy and high maintenance brother that had a problem with right and wrong. Yeah, it was the best.

They arrived on the jet, Loki instructing him to take a seat and stay as still as possible for the next hour. Peter didn't know how long he could last but tried his best.

He couldn't last ten minutes it would seem. Peter had never been on a quin jet before, and his excitement was starting to take hold. He'd also never been on a mission outside of New York besides Titan and Berlin, so that definitely didn't help. His leg bounced as he looked around, seeing so many different buttons and screens that he wanted to know the use for. He was so tempted to just get up and see what each one of them did. Would it be easy to fly this? Who was going to fly them? He thought that the mission was top secret and would just be them, but then there was probably going to be a pilot...

All the questions seemed to lull him into sleep, because the next thing he knew, the booming voice of Thor was over him.

"What is Spider-Man doing here?"

Peter jumped up and out of his seat, standing straight as he looked up at Thor. "Uh, um, I-I'm here..."

"Stark wanted him to get more experience," Loki interjected, "so we're bringing him along."

"Ah, welcome aboard then. It will be a fun mission with lots of battles!" The god smiled warmly at him and patted his shoulder before going to the cockpit. Peter looked to Loki when they were alone and whispered.

"What does Mr. Stark think I'm doing right now?"

"You are currently still sleeping," The man looked away to make sure Thor couldn't hear them. "Once we're far enough away, the illusion will fade and we'll have to face the proverbial music of an angry Stark when we return. I hope you're happy."

"Beyond happy," Peter beamed. "This is amazing!"

Loki stared at the child for a second before a small smirk appeared on his face. In all honesty, he had missed his time with Peter as well. Working with Thor and the other Avengers took up a lot of time, and when he was able to take breaks in between missions, it was always in the middle of the week and Peter was busy with school.

"So where are we going? What are we going to do?" Peter asked, "Is it Hydra agents? Are we stopping some world domination plan? Aliens?"

"Russia, there's a group of enhanced people there that are causing quite a bit of trouble."

"Enhanced..." Peter thought for a second before smiling, "So it might be a good thing that I'm coming along, since I'm enhanced as well!"

"Just don't die, I'd hate for Stark to try and kill me because of that."

Peter laughed a bit before grabbing onto the chair he was sitting in before, feeling the jet lift off and start flying. "I-Is it supposed to be making that noise?"

"What noise?"

"There's a buzzing noise."

Loki frowned as he listened, hearing nothing as he shook his head. "You're just anxious." The man went to sit in a chair across from Peter, pulling out a book from thin air and starting to read. Peter smiled a bit, seeing the title of a Harry Potter book - the one that he used to bribe Loki.

The boy glanced around the jet a bit before making his way to the cockpit with Thor, watching as he piloted the jet with ease. "You're really good at flying, where did you learn?"

Thor glanced back at Peter before grinning widely, "Since I was eight. My father sent me to Nidavellir to have Mjölnir created, and since then I have been able to fly with it's power."

"Oh," Not really what Peter meant but okay, "So you can't fly without Mole-near? What about Stormbreaker?"

The golden god chuckled, his blue eyes shining with amusement. He would never admit it, but Thor loved listening to others try and pronounce Mjölnir. Peter actually got pretty close, but he didn't need to know that...

"Stormbreaker is a lot like Mjölnir, but stronger. So as long as I hold either, I can fly."

"So cool..." Peter's eyes went over to the axe resting on the floor, so much power was just laying there on the floor... Part of him wanted to see if he could pick it up, while the other half didn't want to get zapped by the extremely good looking man that knew how to control lightning and thunder. On that note, a thought popped into his mind; how strong was Thor? Could Peter beat him in an arm wrestle? What if he was hit? That would be interesting... He'd have to ask about that later.

"Peter," Loki called as he stepped closer, "Will that suit be enough for you? Russia is cold during this time of year."

Two sets of eyes were on Peter and his skin-tight suit, causing the boy to blush and duck his head. "Y-Yeah, don't worry! Mr. Stark put a heater in the suit so I'm sure I'll be fine."

The two men chuckled at the boy's red face before returning to what they were doing before, leaving Peter to his own thoughts.

A group of enhanced people could be pretty dangerous... Was it really wise for just Thor and Loki to be sent after them? Even now with Peter's help, there might still be a problem. How many were there, what were their powers, how old were they? Peter guessed he'd just have to find that out when they got there.

Hopefully no one would get hurt and cause Mr. Stark to completely lose his cool...

After getting bored watching Thor fly the jet, Peter went to sit down again. Loki was engrossed with reading his new book and every fiber of Peter's being knew better than to interrupt the trickster when he was reading. So Peter did the only thing he could think of to pass the time without bothering anyone.

He slept.

He hadn't gotten much before Loki woke him up, and the excitement was starting to leave him now. He could talk with Karen, but then that would definitely disturb Loki's reading time. Thankfully, sleep was very easy for him and he was out like a light in minutes.

Across from him, Loki watched the boy's breathing even out. He couldn't help but wonder if it was really the right choice to bring Peter along. Sure, the new book was great, but would it be worth the cost of Peter being hurt? Enhanced individuals were dangerous by themselves, but when they formed a group it became so much worse.

Loki had a theory about the enhanced... While their powers may very from person to person, each one of them had the same kind of fierce loyalty when it came to the people around them. It was like they all had the power to form a bond that couldn't be broken from any outside power, and they would fight until their dying breath to save their friends. Loki knew about it all too well... after all, Peter had a bad habit of jumping head first into dangerous situations when his friends were in trouble. Loki had learned the hard way that he couldn't pretend to be hurt when held captive around Peter now, or the boy would nearly get himself killed to save him.

And it was the same with the other Avengers... Steve Rogers and the witch were both loyal to the ones they trusted the most and would fight anyone or anything that came in their way. So the dangers that came with fighting a group of enhanced were high. And just their luck if Peter ended up bonding with their enemies...

This mission would definitely keep him on his toes.

"We should be getting there soon," Thor announced a few hours later, his voice stirring Peter as Loki put his book down. "We should prepare for battle beforehand."

"Wha...?" Peter groaned as he tried rolling over in his seat, effectively falling onto the floor instead. Loki and Thor chuckled as he sprung up, dusting himself off slightly and acting as if nothing happened. "What is it? Are we there? Are we under attack? I'll fight!"

"We are landing soon," Thor said again, amusement all over his face. "It would be wise to start preparing now."

"Oh..." Peter nodded, clapping his hands together and hopping in place slightly. "Alright! I can do that! I'm ready to go, I just need to get the adrenaline going!"

The two men shook their heads at him as they all started bracing themselves for whatever may be on the ground. Peter felt the nerves building in his stomach but did his best to hide it from the two gods; the last thing he wanted was to seem weak in front of them and never be taken on another mission. This was his big chance to do a major mission with Loki and Thor, he didn't want to mess it up.

The jet landed and doors opened, showing the pure white scenery in front of them. Peter smiled as he saw the snow blanketing everything, it was just like the photography accounts he followed on Instagram. He'd have to take a picture of this for his account as well.

"Ready to go?" Thor asked, not waiting for an answer as he walked passed them, Loki following after his brother.

Peter nodded and jumped after them, " Yeah! I'm ready, let's do this!"

If only Peter knew that they were going to be walking through mountains of snow in uninhabited Russia, he would have definitely brought along another coat. It was freezing! He absolutely couldn't feel any part of his body other than the millions of needles stabbing him, which probably wasn't a good sign... But he'd be damned if he was going to complain out loud. No way. He didn't want to slow Thor and Loki down, or annoy them. So he would suck it up and follow after their foot prints in the snow - since he was too cold to move as fast as them. How on earth were they not cold?

Something dark appeared in front of him, causing Peter to look up and see Loki and Thor waiting for him. He blushed and ducked his head low, forcing himself to go faster.

"You're cold." Loki said, his eyes scanning Peter's shivering body.

"I'm fine, let's keep going." Peter almost jumped for joy when his efforts of not stuttering paid off, but that would take up more energy.

Loki said nothing more as Peter went in front of him and Thor, trudging slowly through the white powder. Electric blue eyes gazed back at Loki, something that the man specifically avoided as he easily caught up to Peter.

He used his magic to bring his jacket to them, tossing it over Peter's shoulders. "Say something if you're cold, I don't want to deal with Stark if you get sick and die."

Peter looked back at the man, his eyes slightly wide before smiling and holding the jacket closer to him and nodding. "Thanks, Mr. Loki."

"Don't mention it, child."

"Even the Imperturbable Loki of Asgard can care for a child?" Thor chuckled as he clapped his hands on both of their shoulders. "You are truly something, Peter, to get the affection of both Stark and Loki."

Peter blushed darkly - thankfully being able to blame it on the cold - and tried to laugh it off. "I don't think that's too special to be friends with someone, especially when they're such good people."

Thor's laughter thundered out across the hills and Peter swore he saw a tinge of pink on Loki's cheeks.

"Seven..." Loki muttered, turning to glare at Thor.

Before any of them could respond, the hair on Peter's neck stood up. His eyes widened as he grabbed the two Norse gods by their arms and jumped to the side just as a large spike of ice erupted from the ground where they once stood.

Loki and Thor both recovered from their initial shock and took battle stances, all three heroes standing in a small circle with their backs facing each other. It was quiet, nothing but the wind rustling the evergreens; but that only made the adrenaline course through them faster.

"There!" Peter shouted, turning his head to the left just as a figure ducked behind a large tree. Peter jumped into the air, pulling his mask on as he landed on a tree branch and leaped forward towards their attacker. He shot a web bomb at the base of the trunk before dropping to the ground and looking to see who he caught, frowning when no one was there. He could have sworn...

"Peter!" Loki called, drawing Peter's attention towards them and giving him just enough time to move out of the way of another ice spike.

"What the-" He jumped over another deadly frozen weapon, trying to find the person again as he continued to dodge. He was missing something... He had to be. He was able to feel their gaze before, so why couldn't he now? Unless...

Peter looked back at the webbed tree, his eyes narrowing at the webs that were being held away from the tree by seemingly nothing. Peter grinned as he stuck himself onto the tree, climbing it down.

"I knew that I got you...! I didn't think you had more than one power though, invisibility and ice magic is so cool! Man, why didn't I get anything like that?" He stopped right above where he thought the person was, reaching a hand out and poking their head. His eyes widened as he pulled his hand back, frowning as ice covered his glove. "Whoa... That could be- oof!"

The world was spinning as Peter flew through the air, faintly hearing his companions calling for him as he slammed into a snow pile.

"Of course there's another enhanced... We're here for a group, why didn't I think of that?" Peter muttered as he dug his way out of the snow, looking around for any hint of his second opponent. "Karen, activate thermal vision."

The lenses on Peter's suit widened as he quickly moved out of the way of the large fist aimed at his head. "So what happens if I touch you?" He jumped up and landed on the person's shoulder's, shooting his webs around the arms and legs while also giving some indication to the others where this person was.

"Hey, Mr. Loki! This guy can turn invisible! Isn't that so cool?" Peter called, looking over at the two men fighting other enhanced people. "What can your guy do?"

"Peter, is now really the time for this?"

Peter only laughed as they continued the fight, finishing up with the invisible person and moving to help Thor with a particularly acrobatic assailant. It wasn't long before all of the enhanced were webbed up and sitting in a pile on the ground, Peter and Loki guarding them as Thor went to get the jet.

"This was amazing...! Did you see the way I took down that girl with the sparky hands? She was like, _zap_! And I was all, _whoosh_! And then-"

Loki chuckled as he listened to Peter ramble, keeping his eyes on the group in front of them. They were going to be in so much trouble when they went back to the Compound, but it was worth it. This was the first time Loki had gotten to see Peter fight someone that could pose a minor threat, and seeing the way the boy fought caused a hint of pride swell inside him.

"Peter," Loki interrupted, quickly gaining the boy's attention, "when things settle down in New York after we get back, let's go for lunch at that restaurant you like on Fifth."

Peter's eyes brightened as he nodded, "Y-Yeah! That would be awesome!"

They both smiled as Peter started talking about the new menu items the restaurant had and what they could do after. With those thoughts in mind, it made the anger of Tony Stark not as imposing.

 **A/N: Can this count as my Christmas story? It's got snow... I'm not really sure if I could do a Christmas chapter in time haha. I can start something, but no promises!**

 **If you have any ideas for other chapters, you can send them in!**

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"Hey, Mr. Thor," Peter started as Loki walked up to them after escorting the last of the prisoners onto the jet, "can you punch me in the face?"

The brothers stopped and glanced at each other before looking at him with bewildered eyes. "Why?"

"To see how strong I am! If you can punch me in the face at full strength, and I'm not put into a coma, I feel like that would be a great win!"

"If that's how you feel, then-"

"Absolutely not." Loki interrupted, stepping between them. "He is a child! You honestly don't think it's wise to try and punch a child, especially one under the protection of Stark!"

"Mr. Loki...!" Peter started to move around him but froze under the man's green eyes.

"While Stark may not be here now, I am. You are not going to be put in a coma and that is final."

The boy groaned and crossed his arms as he started to march onto the jet, muttering under his breath about unfairness.

"I heard that...!" Loki called, trying desperately to hide his amusement. Peter quickly rushed to his seat, but a laugh built inside him. Loki sounded like such a mom then...


	3. New Years!

"Mr. Loki!" Peter called, running after the man down the hall. Loki turned to face him, his eyes widening as he held his hands out to catch Peter just before he crashed into him.

"Someone's excited about something," Loki smirked slightly as Peter panted to catch his breath. "What's got you running around this early in the morning?"

"It's New Years Eve!" Peter beamed, looking up at Loki with the biggest grin. The man was almost worried that his face would crack at the sheer force and energy from Peter.

"So?"

Peter faltered slightly, his head tilting. "What do you mean 'so'? This is a big deal! It's your first New Years on earth! We have to make sure you enjoy it to the fullest! That means the party at the tower, watching the concerts in Times Square from the big TV, the champagne, food, fireworks! It's gonna be great! Mr. Stark throws the best New Years parties, from what I've heard."

Loki raised an eyebrow, a small chuckle leaving him. "You're allowed to drink champagne?"

"Mr. Thor said I could."

A sigh passed Loki's lips as he closed his eyes and massaged his forehead, "It's not Thor you should be asking..."

"I'm sure it will be fine! I mean, I'm almost of drinking age in England! And England was the first America, so it's okay."

Loki stared with narrowed eyes and creased eyebrows as he tried to understand Peter's logic. It hurt his head when the child was this hyper... Though he should be used to it by now, there was hardly a time when Peter wasn't this hyper. Loki swore that the boy could get excited over a rock.

"Just don't cry to me when Stark finds out and grounds you again." Loki turned to start walking again, Peter following close behind.

"That might be a problem... But I'll think of something!" Peter chuckled to himself as he looked up at Loki, "So you're going to come, right?"

"We'll see. You know these Midgardian parties are annoying and senseless to me."

"Yeah, but when on Earth, do as the Earthlings do."

Loki looked down at the boy, trying to fight off a smile as he looked ahead again. "If I agree to come, will you leave me alone?"

"Yeah! But you have to promise."

"Fine, I promise. Now run along and bother Thor or Stark."

"Awesome, see you tonight!" Peter ran off from the way he came, leaving Loki to shake his head with a fond smile. That boy was something else... Slightly annoying at times, but it only made Loki that much fonder of the child. At least he didn't feel like stabbing him every time they were together. That had to be a plus in someone's book.

With a sigh, Loki left for his room. If there was a party, he should dress appropriately. No matter how much he didn't want to go...

While Loki went down the hall, he happened to glance outside and see Peter helping some of the staff carry large wooden stands to the docks at the lake. Peter was carrying a stand in each hand with no struggle as the staff watched in wonder. Loki felt like laughing, for someone so obsessed with a secret identity, Peter wasn't doing a good job at hiding it. Or maybe it was just that he was such a good person that he couldn't just stand by and watch them struggle.

Thinking back, Peter had always been such a good kid - even when they first met. He was way too respectful and caring for his own good... Peter was the type of person that was so good it made you feel bad about yourself while simultaneously making you want to be a better person so that you could deserve him. Loki supposed that Thor was the same way, but growing up with him made it harder to talk to.

When talking with Peter, no matter what the topic, it was always easy. Whether you just wanted company, someone to listen to you, or to be cheered up, Peter was good at it all. Perhaps it was his surprisingly good ability to read the atmosphere and judge for himself what topics to talk about made Loki grow so fond of him...

Whatever it was, Loki still knew how annoying the boy could be to get his way, and decided to stop watching them work and start back to his original goal of his room.

The evening came by faster than expected for Peter, having spent most of the morning and afternoon helping everyone around the Compound. When the first guests started to arrive, he figured it would be time to go clean up for the party.

By the time he was out of the shower and dressed, the building had become relatively more lively. Music from the band and the happy chatter of people filled the halls and drew Peter in, his excitement urging him to go faster and join everyone.

There were plenty of kids from his school that were throwing parties for today, and he had been invited to s few of them... But -aside from the fact that he was with the Avengers- Peter liked the parties Mr. Stark threw best. At these parties, he didn't have to worry about bullies or being an outcast - he was surrounded by people that wanted to talk with him for most of the night. Mr. Stark had explained it once as the people having high expectations for anyone so young to be allowed at the Compound, that the people expected him to be some kind of genius. Peter tried to deny it but was immediately stopped by everyone that had been in the room with explanations of why he was a genius.

But that only proved his point more on why the Avengers made better company than the teenagers from his school.

Once inside the party room, people greeted him and wished him well. Peter would smile and thank them as he carried on his way. He knew that Loki would come, but he wouldn't put it past the man to arrive until after the fireworks. So it was Peter's self-appointed job to make sure that Loki came on time.

After a few minutes of searching, he found the man with his brother near the lounge and chatting with other guests. Peter smiled as he made his way back to the crowd and heading for the food table. He hadn't eaten all day and could honestly say he was starving.

The night went by quickly and with lots of speeches and talks of resolutions, Peter was even starting to feel overwhelmed... A glance at Loki told him that the man was doing just fine under the attention he was receiving, which Peter was happy for. Loki seemed to be doing much better now on Earth and with the humans... The teen felt pride swelling inside him for his friend's accomplishments.

An excited screech from a certain Avenger groupie that somehow always got into the parties caused Peter to let out a slight groan at the headache she was causing, his eyes closing in pain at the party poppers she set off.

While Peter normally fed off the excitement and energy of those around him, now was no longer that time. Everything was so loud and bright and he felt like everything was caving in on him and oh God he couldn't breathe-

There was a hand on his shoulder that started leading him somewhere. Was he being kidnapped? He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to see who it was that was taking him away from the party, but he wanted to thank them... The dulled noises were so much better than before and when a blast of cold air hit him, he felt like he was in heaven.

The hand on his shoulder nudged him slightly so that he was sitting in a chair, a sigh of relief leaving him as his body slowly started to relax. When had he even started tensing?

"Feeling better?"

Peter smiled when he heard the familiar voice, he should have known it was him...

"Much, thank you." His eyes opened to see Loki standing above him, his body half turned away to try and hide the obvious concern on his face. "How did you know I was going into sensory overload?"

"Anyone could tell with just one look at you." Loki rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, looking out at the dark lake in from of them, "You looked like you were in pain while hiding your face behind your hands, it was obvious. Someone would have done the same, I just got to you first."

Peter nodded his thanks as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds from the party. This was bad... The countdown would be starting any minute, and in his current state Peter had no idea how he would be able to handle the sounds of fireworks. Why did this have to happen now of all times?

Loki watched Peter struggle to get his senses under control, a knot forming inside him at the scene. He would never admit it out loud, but seeing Peter like this made him hurt as well... It was all very strange, but true.

"Those sound canceling headphones Stark made you, are they in your room?" Loki asked. Peter opened his eyes to see the man looking over the edge of the building and followed his gaze, seeing the workers start to set up the fireworks. A small groan left Peter as he started to push himself up from his chair.

"Yeah, I'll go get them-"

"No need." Peter blinked as the Loki in front of him disappeared in a flash of green and a new Loki was walking up to him with the headphones. "The fireworks are supposed to be loud, right? These should stop the sound but still let you see them."

The boy stared at him for a second before smiling and taking the headphones, slipping them on his head just as the people inside started chanting the countdown. The hair on the back of Peter's neck stood up as he stood up and went to stand next to Loki, overlooking the lake.

Peter laughed lightly as Loki jumped from the sudden explosion of colors in the sky. The trickster had an idea of what it would be like, having seen similar things before on other planets, but these humans seemed to modify and enhance them to be so much bigger and louder than anything he had seen before.

He had to admit though, they were nice to look at.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Loki." Peter said, looking over at the faint smile the man had.

"Happy New Year, Peter."

 **A/N: Happy New Years Eve, everyone! I hope you all have a great and happy new year in the new year! Remember to stay safe tonight for whatever activities you're going to do!**

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After Peter had recovered from his sensory overload and the fireworks ended, the two of them went back to the party. The boy realized that he had been surrounded by adults the whole time before that he didn't have a chance to try some of the champagne...

With a chuckle, Peter took a glass off the plate from a nearby waiter. He glanced around to make sure that none of the Avengers (or May) were watching him before lifting it up to sip it. However, his eyes widened as the glass disappeared from his hand; he looked to the floor to make sure he didn't drop it but saw nothing. It wasn't until a mischievous laugh caught his attention, making him look up to see Loki walking to him with two glasses in his hand.

With no explanation, Loki offered one of the drinks to Peter as he drank from the other. Peter's eyes were narrowed as he slowly sipped his new drink, his gaze turning annoyed.

"This is Sprite."

"Yes, very good observation, Peter." Loki chuckled, "Sprite is a perfectly acceptable drink for the youth."

Peter rolled his eyes before letting out a laugh as he gave in, drinking more of his 'kid-friendly' drink. Better luck next year...


	4. Mother Knows Best

There were definitely many types of role models in Peter's life; he viewed most of the avengers as his uncles. Bruce was the smart uncle, Steve was the strong uncle, Thor was the jock uncle, Rhodey was the funny uncle, Sam... Sam was his annoying cousin. And Natasha was his very dangerous aunt. Tony - whether the man would admit it or not - was most definitely his dad.

And as things turned out, he even got a mom out of this group.

"I told you that it was going to be cold, I even told you to bring a jacket. But did you listen to me? No, because you are the most stubborn child on this planet."

Peter chuckled lightly as Loki complained, trying to hide how funny he found this situation. Of course, looking back at how they were somewhat stranded on the outside of NYC in the middle of winter with snow everywhere, maybe he shouldn't actually be laughing... But it was just the fact that Mr. Stark had the same conversation with him last week that had Peter on the edge of laughing aloud.

"You're even delirious now, laughing at a situation like this. You can freeze to death out here, you know?"

"Don't worry, we'll be back soon enough." Peter grinned as he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking ahead at the distant skyscrapers covered in snow. He was freezing, and it was taking everything in him to hide the shivers that racked through his body, but he wouldn't let Loki see that. The man had already given Peter his jacket, he wouldn't let him give up his scarf and gloves too. If only he had his watch that Mr. Stark made him, he'd be able to have everyone here in minutes with a warm car, or even a jet...

Alas, all of their tech was taken when they accidentally fell through a wormhole into the hideout of a group of enhanced criminals - while they were in civilian clothes. So Peter didn't even have his web-shooters to help him out. Loki's magic was the only reason that they were alive right now, having caused a distraction long enough for them to escape from the criminals and out into the cold. Thankfully they weren't too far away from the city, but it would be a few hours of walking.

In all honestly, Peter was a bit nervous about what could happen to them. They were miles away from any warmth while possibly being chased by a group of enhanced criminals... Loki would probably be fine, Peter knew of his past as a Frost Giant; but he could feel his own body starting to shut down. His hands - shoved deep in his pants pockets - were numb and stiff, he was having trouble walking in a straight line or even staying upright, the shaking of his body was getting very hard to hide, and even he could hear the slurring of his voice. It wasn't looking good for him if they didn't get to somewhere warm soon.

"Peter-"

"Get down!"

Peter grabbed the back of Loki's shirt and pulled him away just as a large tree slammed into the ground where they once were. Peter glanced around, desperately trying to quiet his hard breathing as his hearing was the only thing that was helpful in finding the bad guy now (his spidey-sense had been going off ever since they fell into the wormhole and had just been a huge annoyance this whole time). He turned his head around, listening for any kind of movements that would give the enemy away but finding nothing but harsh wind.

"Peter, you need to calm down."

 _There_!

Peter whipped his head to the side, starting to move towards the sound of crunching snow when a spike of pain shot through his head, making him lose balance and nearly face plant into the ground if it hadn't been for Loki catching him.

"I told you to calm down, child, and I should hope you will listen now." Even with his fogged head, Peter comprehended the stern tone Loki used, knowing that there wasn't any room for him to try and argue now. "This isn't like Russia, even though circumstances are similar. We were prepared for Russia, and you had a suit on that kept you warm. Right now, you are showing signs of hypothermia and if we don't raise your body temperature soon, things can get really dangerous. So you will let me take care of these idiots and you are going to stay right here while I do so. Am I understood?"

Peter nodded slightly, looking away as he sighed. It was for the best... He could barely sit up at the moment, there was no way he'd be able to fight. Not to mention how sluggish his body felt; if he was to try fighting, he would only make matters worse.

Loki set him against the tree with a pat to the head before making his way to the direction the criminals were.

He may not be a healer, but Loki knew that Peter was in serious trouble the second they left the enhanced criminals' base. He wasn't much help to the boy, having not prepared anything with his magic before this that would keep him warm or alert the others to where they were. So he was left with no other choice than to finish this quickly and continuing to walk back to the city.

"There you are." He chuckled lightly as the girl attacking them looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock as she jumped away. Loki reached out and grabbed her arm before she got too far, pulling a knife out of thin air and holding it to her neck. "I need you to take off that jacket, or I will kill you right here."

"You'd kill me in front of that kid? They'd let anyone join the Avengers these days."

"That boy is dying because of your friends and his stupidity. Besides, he can't see us over here." Loki felt his eyes flash a deadly color as the knife pressed harder into her skin. The way she was staring up at him now gave him a small hint of satisfaction, but he couldn't dwell on it for long as he felt her starting to shrug off her jacket.

It was fluffy on the inside with a windbreaker on the out, perfect for Peter now. Loki removed the knife from her neck as he started walking back, "Now leave before I change my mind and kill you anyway."

He didn't have to look to know that she was running away. Though it wouldn't be long before she returned with reinforcements.

"Stand up, child. We need to leave now." Loki commanded as he neared the boy, arranging the jacket in his hands to slip on the boy easily. When he received no answer, Loki turned his gaze to Peter's still form laying on the ground. "Young one, wake up... Peter?"

An emotion that was foreign to Loki filled his chest as he dropped to his knees next to Peter, quickly checking for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. He hurriedly put the jacket around Peter and lifted him up in his arms, rubbing his back and arms as he started to carry him back to the city.

"You stubborn young fool...!" Loki muttered as he ran, doing his best to fight down the emotions in him that threatened to take over. He was wrong before though, he had felt these things in the past... when he was much younger and smaller and easily scared. It was fear. As a child, he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming of monsters that he thought would attack him. Thor or his mother would always be there soon after to comfort him and calm his nerves, both of them doing what they could to make him feel better. Frigga taught him her magic so he could one day learn to fight with it and protect himself, while Thor promised to never allow anyone to lay a finger on him. How many times had Loki shared Thor's bed as a child when Thor promised him such things?

Why was he dwelling on old memories at a time like this? He should be cursing the young human in his arms rather than strolling down memory lane!

"Your idiocy rivals that of my brother." Much better.

It wasn't long before a small gas station appeared on the side of the road, and Loki wasted no time rushing inside. He thanked whatever higher power there was when a wall of heat greeted him on the other side of the door...

The blankets weren't hard to find and Loki went to work with turning Peter into a fluffy burrito, ignoring the store owner's complaints. He didn't stop until he was sure that every available blanket was being put to good use on the boy, then turned to the owner.

"I need to make a call."

"You're going to pay for all those, right?"

These idiotic humans...

Loki took a deep breath as he stepped closer to the man, smirking at the look of fear that passed over him. "I need to make a call. Let me have your phone."

Less that two seconds later, there was a cell phone in Loki's hand. Peter had showed him how to use these during one of their random talks to calm him down, and Loki had memorized the numbers of all the Avengers in case of an emergency. He was very glad that he did...

He dialed a number and waited a few seconds before a tired voice answered, "This is a private and secure number, tell me how you got it before I ruin your life."

"Stark, Peter is unconscious. We were transported outside of the city by a group of enhanced. You humans don't do too well in this cold and Peter has been exposed to it for too long."

He hadn't even finished speaking when the sound of machinery started whirling in the background.

"I'll be there soon with a jet. How is he?"

Loki glanced at the mop of brown hair sticking out from under the blankets before sighing, "It's not too good. We're in shelter now, but he was under for some time before we got here. The enhanced will most likely be returning as well, neither of us are prepared to fight them."

"ETA is five minutes, hold tight and stay alive."

The call ended with a click, Loki tossing the phone back to the owner before going to sit next to Peter on the ground. He pulled the boy into his lap and started rubbing his back and arms through the blankets, trying to return circulation to him. "You foolish boy, you better not die on me..."

Loki closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead against the back of Peter's head, the panic and terror slowly starting to fade now that things were starting to calm down. Peter was in the warmth and Stark was on his way with a jet. It was going to be okay...

He should have known better.

"Hey, Mister," The store owner called, catching Loki's attention as he looked up from his thoughts. "Thought you might want to know, there's a group of some pretty suspicious people outside now."

Loki suppressed a groan as he slowly put Peter against the ground again, standing up to get a look at what the man was talking about. He peered over the edge of a shelf to look out the glass front to see ten people lining the edge of the road and staring directly inside. Great. Just great.

He could always wait them out, Stark would be here soon and would easily take care of them. Though Loki didn't like the idea of relying on someone else to handle his problems, a small groan from Peter was enough to force his pride down and turn his attention back to the boy.

"Alert me if any of them move closer," Loki instructed to owner as he went to kneel next to Peter again, only to freeze - no pun intended.

Peter's lips were purple. They had shades to them before, but now they were fully purple. It was as if he was still out in the cold, not in a heated store with multiple blankets wrapped around him. Loki reached down to check his pulse again, much weaker than before but still there under the icy cold skin. This wasn't right... something was wrong.

Loki slowly looked up at the owner who was watching them intently, who had been watching Peter since he was brought in - minus a few times that Loki had his attention. He was an older man with tanned skin and white hair, years of work marring his saggy face with wrinkles. His thick glasses magnified his eyes that were an unnatural cyan blue. As they say... The eyes are a window into the soul.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, slowly standing up to face the man.

"What are you talking about?"

"Release your spell from him, now." The man backed up, his hands raised as he glanced back at Peter before looking at the knife that Loki pulled out again. "I didn't tell you to look at him, I told you to release him. Now do it if you value your life."

"I don't know what you mean, you crazy loon!"

Loki was about to take another step toward him when his body was slammed into the ground, creating a dent in the tile floors.

"It's about time you got here! He called someone earlier, they'll be here soon!"

"Loki's magic was... difficult to overcome." Loki glanced up at the people talking, seeing three newcomers walking in the store. One girl had her hand stretched out towards him, and he guessed that she was the one keeping him pinned against the floor. "Emma is still too scared to come near him. She swears he's a demon or something."

A chuckle left Loki as heard that, a bubble of pride forming in his chest. It had been a while since someone was that scare of him...

"That doesn't matter now, just get the boy and we'll be on our way."

"Touch him and I will end you," Loki growled, all sadistic humor gone as he gazed up at the small group. A stronger weight was added to his back as the floor cracked under him, the others sneering at him.

"Big talk for someone that can't move," The girl holding him down chuckled, her heals clicking across the floor as she walked closer to him. His eyes watched her as she circled around him, her smirk deadly as she passed him and walked over to Peter. "It makes me want to mess around with this little boy..."

"Leave. Him. _Alone_."

The girl only chuckled as she held her hand out, Peter's body flying upright and right into her hand. Her thin fingers wrapped around his throat, a long thumbnail grazing against his jugular.

Loki's eyes narrowed as his body flickered out of existence. That certainly drew the attention of the enhanced criminals, so none of them saw as his body reappeared on the other side of Peter, wrapping an arm around the boy's waist as his other hand grabbed the woman's and bent it backwards.

Her scream filled the store as she let go of Peter, Loki easily keeping him upright and close. He silently cursed when he felt how cold he was, much worse than before... If they didn't get him to a doctor soon...

"You broke my hand!" The girl screamed, clutching her injury close to her chest, backing away from him as the others stood defensively around her.

"I warned you not to touch him," Loki shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips as Peter's form disappeared in a flash of green.

"I will kill you!"

The glass to the front wall shattered as a metallic voice sounded above the group, "Not if I can help it." Loki looked over, smirking a bit as he saw the familiar red and gold suit hovering at the entrance, repulsors aimed and ready to fire at any one of the criminals that made the wrong move.

"Brother," Thor landed outside, walking in through the hole and towards his younger sibling. Behind him, Loki could see the forms of other team members rounding up the criminals that were there. "I am glad to see that you haven't killed them. Where is the young Peter?"

"In there," Loki nodded his head to the back office, where a heater and flannel blankets were keeping an unconscious spiderling warm. "He needs immediate medical assistance, the old man controls ice and was keeping the child cold while we were here."

Tony's helmet lifted to reveal a very strained and very angry face aimed right at the old store owner. "You trying to kill him or something?"

"No! It's not like that!"

"Seems that way to us."

The man looked between Loki and Tony, panicking as he broke into a cold sweat. His mouth opened and closed multiple times, his eyes glancing around at everyone in the room before creating a wall of ice between them.

Loki, of course, knew that this would happen and had made proper preparations for it. He took satisfaction in the way the man screamed when he saw Loki standing just behind him, more so when his ice wall fell during his shock.

"Really, you humans are so predicable. What do you call it? Fight or flight? It's always one or the other, some day I wish one of you would do something interesting and unexpected..."

"Brother! Stark!" Thor shouted as he came out from the back room, holding Peter in his arms. "Young Peter needs medical treatment now! He won't survive if we wait much longer"

The two Avengers looked over at him, both of their eyes going down to the young boy in Thor's arms. His skin was pale and his lips were blue, his body stiller than it had ever been before... Was he even breathing?

"Peter!" Tony ran forward, nearly ripping himself out of his suit to get to the boy. Once his hands were free, he pressed them against Peter's throat to try and find a pulse. His eyes grew frantic for a second before calling his suit back to him before taking him out of Thor's arms.

"His pulse is way too faint for comfort, I'm going to fly ahead and get him into the med-bay."

Thor nodded in response, looking over to Loki, "We shall finish things up here and meet you afterwards."

Loki didn't know why his body felt so cold, he was a true blooded Frost Giant that shouldn't be bothered by the cold... But as Stark passed him carrying the limp boy in his arms, it felt as if his body was encased in ice that was slowly suffocating him. There was a good possibility that Peter could die from this cold. Peter could die, and Loki wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it.

Why did that hurt him so badly?

"Brother," Thor called, beckoning him to help with the detainment of the enhanced criminals. Loki did so mutely, his body on autopilot as he none-too-gently loaded them into the jet. The whole time his mind was focusing on what would happen to Peter, if he would live or when he would wake up. Loki did his best to stay away from any ideas that involved mourning the child... Peter would pull through this. He had to.

The man had to hide a growl of annoyance when he realized that they had to travel to that floating jail for enhanced before they would be able to go to the compound. He did his best to hide it from the others, but Loki was anxious to find out what would become of Peter. And that anxiousness was slowly turning into outward rage; the android and witch doing their best to stay out of his way. However, Thor wasn't quite as smart as them.

"You are worried for him," he started, going to sit next to Loki as the jet's autopilot took them to the compound.

Loki said nothing, simply shooting a sideways glare at his brother. He was in no mood to talk now.

"You and Peter have grown fond of each other since we've come here, I'm glad that you've made a friend with him. He is a good influence on you," Thor chuckled as he nudged Loki's arm, the man sending a stronger glare in return. "He will be alright, brother-"

"How do you know?" Loki snapped, "Humans are weak, and Peter even more so when it comes to the cold! This was nothing like our mission to Russia where we were prepared for the weather and enhanced. I told him to bring a jacket when we went out this morning instead of just the sweater he had on, but refused to listen like the stubborn mule that he is! And now he might die from it!" Loki flinched at his own words. He hadn't meant to say all that aloud, hadn't meant to show all these emotions... But his worry for Peter was stronger than his resolve to hide it, and Thor had just unintentionally caused Loki to think about worst case scenarios.

Peter really could die from this, his body could freeze and kill him. As someone who's heritage is from a frozen wasteland, Loki was absolutely useless to help Peter in any way. Possibly even being near him would cause the boy's health to worsen-

A heavy hand on his should drew Loki's attention back to Thor, a small smile on his brother's face. "He will be alright. Stark sent word while we were unloading the prisoners, Peter is fine and in stable condition."

Loki stared at him for a second before letting out a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping. "That child... I'm going to kill him for making me worry like this." His eyebrow twitched as he sat up straight again, "I am Loki, god of mischief! I don't senselessly worry of small mortal children, and yet he made me because he didn't listen when I told him to put on a damned jacket!"

Thor laughed as he stood, patting Loki's shoulder as he walked back to the cockpit, "Motherhood suits you, brother."

"Shut up!"

Loki's anger level was definitely around a seven right now, and Peter would be getting an earful when they returned.

Damn. He did sound like a mother.

 **A/N: Wow... this chapter really got away from it's original purpose. It was just meant to be poking fun at the Mom Friend Loki idea I have, not Peter almost dying and scaring Loki out of his mind.**

 **I also started writing this way back in November... that's why it's cold in this chapter... I wasn't going to post this until later, but I figured I'd better do it now before we got into Summer. Eh heh heh...**

 **I don't know if my sort of hiatus from college is over yet, but I am trying to get back into writing now that things are slowing down and forming a less hectic schedule... Wish me luck!**


	5. Prank War

**Request by hear_my_cry1234 on Wattpad. I realized a little too late that they wanted a prank war between Peter and Loki and I am so sorry! I ended up writing a war between all of the Avengers... _**

The humans were not as bad as Loki had originally thought, though they were definitely strange. So many traditions and holidays... Loki wasn't a fan of most, but there was one such day that he did enjoy. And he actually wanted to spend that holiday with other people, thanks to Peter's influence.

 **~Flashback March 31st~**

 _And as Loki's self-appointed human liaison, it was Peter's job to ensure that Loki had the full experience of the humans - including holidays of all kinds. And he was very serious about his job..._

 _"Hey, Friday? Could you ask Mr. Loki to come here?" Peter tried not to laugh, trying to seem as normal as possible so Friday wouldn't mention anything he didn't want her to._

 _"Certainly, Peter," The AI responded, a hint of laughter in her own robotic voice that told Peter she knew what he was planning and approved._

 _With an inward smirk, he went to sit on a sofa and did his best to look distraught and hopeless with his hands holding his head up. He had spent the entire last month hanging out with the theatre club just for this moment; according to all of them, he was ready._

 _When he heard three sets of footsteps coming to the living room, he bit the inside of his cheek to make the tears well up in his eyes, heaving a large sigh just as the doors opened._

 _"No, it was really good, I mean it-" Whatever conversation the three people were having died as soon as they saw Peter._

 _"What happened, Peter?" Scott asked, the first to snap out of his shock most likely from his parental instincts, walking over to stand next to the boy. Loki and Tony recovering at the same time as they rushed forward as well._

 _"Friday, why didn't you say that something was wrong?" Tony knelt in front of Peter, doing his best to get him to raise his head._

 _Loki took the seat next to Peter and scanned all over him for any signs of injuries, finding nothing external. Did that mean it was internal? The worry that Loki was feeling skyrocketed at the thought, internal damage was worse than anything that would be done to the outside..._

 _"C'mon, kid," Tony urged, "talk to us. What's wrong?"_

 _"I- I'm..." Peter stuttered, biting his lip to show hesitance, but also causing more tears to spring to his eyes. "I'm..."_

 _"You're... what? Kid, just tell us so we can help!"_

 _This was it, the moment that Peter had been preparing for, for the last month. All the training and practicing and pain he went through was just for this moment... If he could not pull this off, then he was a complete failure at life._

 _He faintly heard the door opening as Peter let out a loud sob and hid his face in his hands, "I'm pregnant!"_

 _It was quiet for a long time, Peter was pretty sure that everyone had stopped breathing for a few seconds. It got to the point that he was almost certain that his prank hadn't even worked and completely and utterly failed..._

 _But then Tony stood up straight and took a deep breath. "What... the hell? Peter Benjamin Parker, of all the people I've known in my life, I expected you to be the most responsible! Please tell me you at least know who the father is? I can't believe this!"_

 _As Tony went too take a breath, Scott decided to jump into the scolding-fest... "Don't they teach about Safe Sex in school? I know you're young, but you should know about this by now! Just because you're a super hero doesn't mean you're safe!"_

 _The two of them went on like that for a while, it was almost like they were tag teaming each other. One of them would rant for a few minutes then take a breather as the other would build on points the prior made, or simply make new points. When Peter started laughing, that obviously didn't help the parental rage the two men seemed to be feeling and only caused them to go into even longer rants._

 _It wasn't until someone cleared their throat behind him that Peter glanced over to see that Bruce, Natasha, Clint, and Thor had walked in earlier. Of course, their expressions only made him laugh harder._

 _"Peter, stop laughing! This is serious!"_

 _Peter held up a hand, his other holding his side as he tried his best to stifle his laughter. "S-stop, enough already...! I can't take it anymore!"_

 _"You better take it! Raising a child is a lifelong commitment!"_

 _"It's a_ prank _!"_

 _Everything went silent once again, everyone staring at him with wide eyes. Groans of realization were heard as Peter burst into giggles once again, finding this matter completely and utterly hilarious beyond belief. He had planned on simply pranking Loki, choosing the day before April Fools just in case the man already knew about the holiday, but he hadn't expected the others to join in as well - much less believe it! The Earth's mightiest heroes seemed to have all forgotten one crucial detail of the human biology..._

 _Natasha was the first one to break the voiceless air, chuckling with a shake of her head. "I can't believe you all fell for that..."_

 _"Hey, don't try to play it cool!" Tony turned to her, shaking his finger. "I know that you believed him too for a second!"_

 _As the humans all started arguing about who was fooled by the prank and who wasn't, Loki and Thor shared a confused look._

 _"So... Peter is not with child?" Loki asked, glancing around at the others. Peter's laughter slowly stopped as he shook his head._

 _"No, I'm not. Females are the only humans who can get pregnant, something that all Earthlings are taught at a young age," Peter sent a teasing smirk to the others before looking back to the two aliens._

 _"Then why would you say that you are?"_

 _"Because it's a prank," Peter grinned with a shrug. "Remember when you tricked Mr. Thor into thinking you were a snake when you were kids? That was a prank too, though human pranks don't normally involve stabbing."_

 _A brightness filled Loki's eyes as he took in the information, and suddenly everyone in the room felt as if Peter had made a mistake with this... But it was too late now, the damage had already been done and all that was left to do was prepare for the upcoming storm._

 _And storm it did._

 _Loki had enlisted Peter's help - of course - and let loose a barrage of attacks on the Avengers in the Compound. Peter had taught Loki all of the basic pranks such as a hand buzzer, whoopee cushion, shaving cream in a sleeping hand. Clint had been unfortunately subjected to most of the classical pranks, despite being the one that normally set them off at the Compound before._

 _It wasn't until the mischievous duo had replaced the orange juice with a powdered cheese packet that the Avengers decided to start fighting back..._

 _It started when Clint left an ad in a local news paper for a Chewbacca roaring contest with Tony's private number listed, telling people to leave a voicemail of their best impressions. The first call came in when it was 'family game night' (a tradition that Peter and Thor came up with every other Friday night). It was obvious that Tony hadn't been expecting it when he answered the call on loud speaker, his eyes going comically wide when the person on the other line started to let out an unholy roar. A string of curses left Tony's mouth as he nearly threw his phone across the room in shock, the emotion being shared by everyone else in the room. Accusing looks started being directed in Loki and Peter's direction, but then Clint started laughing like a mad man._

 _That was when the real war between the Avengers started._

 _It was absolute chaos. No one could be trusted, even with the few alliances that were formed. Loki, Peter, and Clint were the main targets, everyone deciding to take the chance for payback after everything those three had put them all through._

 _It was fun at first, everyone using their skills to prank each other; it was kinda a team-bonding thing... But then Natasha snuck into everyone's rooms and painted red glow-in-the-dark eyes on the ceiling. That's when it became a competition... Who could get the loudest scream from who._

 _Thor, the ever gentle giant he was, filled Sam's room to the brim with some very realistic spider stuffed animals. Peter didn't think it would work at first, but didn't have the heart to tell Thor that (Loki was another story completely). But after he had helped Thor buy all the stuffies and placed them around the room, he was roped into hiding underneath them all to wait for Sam. It was actually kind of fun, and when he heard Sam's footsteps coming to the room he stilled his body as much as he could to not give anything away._

 _To this day, Peter had never heard a grown man scream at such a high pitch in his entire life. Somehow Thor had found out about Sam's fear of spiders and exploited it to the max. Loki - who was reading in the next room - had nearly fallen out of his chair at the scream, thoroughly convinced that the two had done something unthinkable to the poor man. Though it could be argued that using someone's phobia in a prank was unthinkable..._

 _After the dust had settled with Thor's prank, everyone was anxious to see what would happen next - praying that the two scientists would sit this war out... Tony and Bruce were geniuses and could probably do some seriously extreme pranks if they so chose. Tony could be a mad scientist that might find a way to humiliate and terrify them at the same time with very little effort; Bruce could be just as bad (if he could get serious about it). It was absolute hell waiting on them..._

 _Thankfully (for them) they didn't have to wait long for Bruce. The man had tried to serve them all exploding milkshakes that ended up backfiring on himself, covering him and any nearby surfaces with the cold and sticky drink. Some had landed on a target though, Loki's pants and shirt had little pink spots covering his side. It had been a good laugh, especially when the shake had dripped off of Bruce's face enough for everyone to see the shocked expression he wore._

 _After a few more pranks, everyone was growing more and more uneasy. The war had been going on for a week, it was slowly starting to tamper out... It was mostly just a few little revenge pranks here and there. But what had everyone on edge was that Tony had yet to prank anyone, not even a small practical joke! Everyone had thought that he would have been one of the first to think of the best and biggest thing, but he just sat with everyone and laughed at whatever jokes were pulled._

 _"Alright," Rhodey stood up abruptly, causing a few people to jump. "What the hell, Tony? We're all waiting, but there's still no prank from you! As much as I hate all of this, just get it over with already!"_

 _Everyone's eyes were drawn to Tony, a smirk slowly spreading across the man's face as he leaned back in his chair. "What makes you think I haven't done a prank yet?"_

 _"You have?" Peter tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowed slightly._

 _"You all assumed that I haven't set anything up yet, but maybe my prank takes a certain number of... triggers to set off? Such as passing in front of it or touching it?"_

 _All eyes were wide with unimaginable horror as they gazed at Tony, Peter taking extra measure to step back with a hand on his chest._

 _"Mr. Stark... That's so evil..."_

 _"Evil," Loki nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. "But genius. I like it."_

 **~Present Day~**

It had been months already, but no one had yet to run into Tony's prank yet... Most of the team had forgotten about it or no longer concerned.

That day Loki was hanging out in the gym, where most of the Avengers were working out. He would have been in his room reading or something, but Peter made him promise to come watch. Apparently the boy had been working on some new move that he wanted everyone to see.

While waiting for the rest of the team to get there though, Peter was taking a run through the parkour course that Tony had set up for him. Loki chuckled as he returned to his reading on the sidelines.

Tony had just walked in the room when it happened.

A high pitch scream that rivaled Sam's.

Everyone (minus Tony) ran to the locker rooms to see what happened, only to stop short at the sight before them. Peter was the first to recover as he saw Captain America's bewildered and terrified expression as he was caught up in the middle of what could only be Tony's prank.

Steve's expression soon changed to a playful rage as he started to make his way to the gym, everyone giving him a wide pathway.

"Stark! I know this was you!"


	6. Sick Day

**Request by introvertturtle234 on Wattpad! Sorry it took so long to get out, I've had writers block for a while... I also couldn't fit interactions in with all the Avengers . I'm a disappointment. But to make up for it, I made it extra long! Hope you enjoy!**

When Peter had met up with Loki for the day - as they had promised to do a week prior - he could tell that there was something wrong with the man. There was something about him that just seemed... off. He wasn't as quirky and sarcastic as he normally was, and he didn't respond to any of Peter's teasing. Not to mention how slow Loki had become and seemed distracted by something...

"Mr. Loki," Peter started, turning towards his friend, "are you okay?"

The man in question raised an eyebrow, his head barely moving to face Peter. "What do you mean?"

"You're acting weird, not at all like yourself. You're spacing out, paler than normal, barely responsive when talking, and your physical response time is slow."

"It is not-" Before Loki could finish his protest, Peter shot a web at him, trapping his arm against the wall of the Compound.

They both stared at the web for a few moments, before Loki let out a sigh. On a normal day, Loki would have been able to predict Peter's attack and move his hand out of the way with time to spare... His response time was way beyond slow.

"If you must know, I have been feeling slightly..." Loki waved his other hand lazily to try and think of the proper word, "Strange. My head is fuzzy and pounding, and my body feels colder than normal. It will pass though, nothing to concern yourself with."

Peter blinked in confusion, tilting his head slightly, "You're sick?"

"Excuse me?"

Before Loki could react any other way, Peter was in front of him and placing a warm hand against his forehead. It almost felt good. Almost. But Loki would not think of that now, nor indulge in it. The child would never let him live it down otherwise.

"Yeah, you're definitely sick; you've got a fever." Peter took a step back and pulled the webs off of Loki's hand before leading him back down the hall to the bedrooms. "You should have said something before! Going out will only make you suffer more, not to mention that spreading germs isn't cool."

"Peter, I am fine. I don't get... sick. I have never been sick in my life...!"

"There's a first time for everything."

Loki didn't even have time to fire a retort back as Peter pushed him back in his room and forced him to sit on the bed. "Stay here, I'm going to go get medicine and... other stuff that sick people need!" And just like that, Peter was gone.

Loki had the thought to leave while the child was gone, because he didn't need anyone to take care of him and he definitely was _not_ sick. But something stopped him... It was the concern hidden in Peter's eyes when asking if he was okay, or the hesitance in his hand when checking his temperature; Peter was genuinely upset with the idea of him being sick and it made Loki feel something deep in his chest that he never had before...

So, against his better judgment, Loki stayed on his bed until Peter returned with a bowl of soup. He was about to comment on why the boy only had a bowl of water with him when he had left to get medical supplies, but stopped himself when another figure appeared in the doorway behind Peter.

"Brother, why did you not tell me that you were feeling unwell?" Thor asked, holding Peter's backpack and cloths in his hands.

A sigh left Loki's lips as he leaned his head back down on his pillow. He knew he should have left when he had the chance... "Because I am not sick. I do not get sick."

Thor laughed a bit as he sat in the chair in the corner of the room. "Have you forgotten that time when we were children and accidentally went to Muspelheim? You were sick for weeks after father brought us back. Mother was so worried that she didn't leave your side the entire time, and nearly sent for the healers on Vanaheim."

Peter, who was standing next to Loki's bed and reading the directions for the medicines, could have sworn that he saw a faint blush rise to Loki's cheeks before the man cleared his throat and looked away.

"No, I remember no such thing."

"Liar."

"I am not lying, you're just delusional."

Peter laughed as the two bickered, handing Loki the medicine pills and a water bottle that he pulled from his bag. Even when he was sick, Loki still had the energy to argue with Thor. They were really good brothers...

"Wait," Loki paused as he looked down at the pills in his hand that he had almost taken without a thought. "What is this? I don't need these, I'm not sick."

It was then that Thor stood up and made his way over to the bedside as well, placing a heavy hand on Loki's shoulder. "Brother, do not make me use Sykepleier's method."

Loki's body tensed for a second, his eyes narrowing at Thor as his hand closed tightly around the pills. Thor held his gaze with a small smirk before Loki turned to look at a confused Peter, then back to Thor again, before he took a deep breath and downed the medicine.

"There, happy now?"

"Indeed," Thor smiled wider, patting Peter's shoulder as he moved away. "I must be going now, but I will return later to check in."

As he moved past Peter, he leaned down to whisper in the boy's ear, "Loki cares for you, use it against him if he gives you any trouble."

Peter chuckled and nodded, eyes drifting over to Loki's -once again- narrowed ones. "Yes sir, Mr. Thor."

The large man waved as he left the room, his hearty chuckles trailing after him. It was silent for a while after, Loki's half-hearted glare aimed at Peter as the boy awkwardly stood there wondering what to do next. He had given Loki the medicine and water... should he put the cool towel on his forehead and get him to sleep again? Something told him that Loki wouldn't allow that right now.

"So what's... 'Moose-pel-him'?" Peter asked, trying (and failing) to remember the name Thor had said earlier. Loki's glare faltered slightly before a small smile tugged at his lips.

" _Muspelheim_ is the realm of fire, ruled by Surtr. It is much like what you humans envision Hell to be like; the grounds burnt black from years of abuse by fire and lava, the two being the only sources of light and casting eerie glows along the rocks. It has a heat so strong that you can burn even from a distance."

Peter's eyes were wide with wonder, "And you and Mr. Thor went there as kids? Why?"

Loki gazed at Peter for a second before sighing and sitting up more in his bed. "Sit, I will tell you the story."

The boy smile brightly as he sat on the edge of Loki's bed, causing the man to smirk.

"We were younger than you when we went, probably around the human age of seven and nine. We hadn't even intended to go there... Thor wanted to visit our sister world, Vanaheim, and snuck into the Bifrost when the Gatekeeper was away. I told him it was a bad idea," Loki shrugged nonchalantly, "but he didn't listen to me and did it anyways.

"He had done something wrong when choosing the destination, because as soon as the Bifrost opened, we were blasted with an intense heat. But it was too late to stop anything and we were both sucked in.

"It really wasn't so bad at first, once the initial heat wave passed... We had landed somewhere that had more rocks than lava and fire, so it was bearable. Thor was... greatly impressed by the place and wanted to explore. I, on the other hand, not so much. I had heard stories about Surtr and was in no mood to meet him without a weapon. I was once again ignored though and left to follow after Thor.

We wandered for what seemed like hours before we ran into Sinmara, Surtr's consort and guardian of a powerful weapon. She was a nightmare... Beautiful, but terrifying. She thought that Thor and I were there to steal her weapon and started to release the guard dogs on us, if it hadn't been for my quick explanation about why we were there, we would have been eaten alive... But thankfully, Sinmara believed us and helped us leave without Surtr knowing..."

Loki paused for a second, gazing out across the room with a faraway look hazed across his eyes. His bloodshot eyes, Peter soon noted. Upon closer inspection, Loki's cheeks were flushed and he seemed to be panting slightly as a few coughs escaped him.

"Hey, you don't look too good..." Peter stood up from his seat and stretched his hand out to feel Loki's head, reeling back as if he had been burned by the fires of Muspelheim himself. "Your fever's getting worse; you should lay down and sleep."

It was worrisome when Loki didn't fight him as the boy's hands urged him under the blankets of his bed.

"Perhaps a small nap would be favorable now." As Loki closed his eyes, Peter picked up the bowl of water that he had placed on the floor earlier and set it on the bedside table, getting a small face towel and dipping it in the cool water before squeezing it out and placing it on Loki's forehead. The man twitched slightly at the cold shock, but kept his eyes closed. Peter couldn't tell if he had already gone to sleep or was simply ignoring him...

Once everything had been done for Loki that Peter was able, he went to sit in the chair on the other side of the room and took his school books out of his bag, quietly setting to work on his homework.

A few hours had passed when Loki woke up again, a fresh cold cloth on his head and his room empty. He took the cloth off and put it back in the bowl as he sat up, inspecting his room. Peter's school books were stacked around his chair, some still open on the floor.

It was strange, why did Loki feel so... disappointed that Peter had left while he was sleeping? Maybe he was sick... He would never be so needy in his right mind.

The door opened, Loki's eyes shooting towards it to see Peter walking in carrying a bowl. The child's eyes brightened as they saw Loki.

"You're awake!" Peter went over to place the bowl on the small table, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long, I went to get soup and Bruce had told me about how you and some of the other Avengers went to save some people in a burning building the other day. So I thought, 'hey, maybe you got sick because you overheated'? And I had to learn a completely new recipe to make cold soup for you, because hot soup might make you worse. How are you feeling now?"

"Better," Loki chuckled, but his voice sounded strained and caused a hard cough to escape him.

Peter frowned and shook his head, moving his hand to feel Loki's forehead. "No, you're still burning up. I was hoping that your fever would have broken if you went to sleep..."

"It'll pass soon, don't worry. I've never been sick before, so I'll be healed before you know it." It took everything Loki had not to start coughing in the middle of his sentence, or letting his strained voice crack. But he really didn't want to worry Peter anymore than he already had... Perhaps if he created an illusion? No, Peter would see through that immediately and get angry with him. He would just have to do this the old fashioned way (no matter how tiring it was).

After that, Loki was forced to eat the 'cold soup' that was actually decent, while Peter told him about his previous school days and hero nights. The boy was trying to keep Loki from talking as much as possible, that much was obvious. But the extra effort was useless. The trickster always liked hearing about what Peter did around others, and he didn't want to interrupt the story process.

"-Not only did he manage to derail the subway, but he also nearly pushed a school bus off a bridge! I mean, how low can someone go? I barely made it there in time, stopping the subway from crashing took so long and kinda hurt! What would he have done if I didn't get there in time? Geez, sometimes I think these bad guys think I'm Superman or somethi-"

A knock at the door interrupted Peter, Tony's head popping in not long after. "Hey there, I was looking for a little spiderling when heard a certain resident of this room was sick. With the power of excellent detective skills, I figured that my spider-kid would be playing doctor." Tony chuckled a bit as he saw the two in bed. "I'm so good, I should be the next Sherlock."

"Mr. Stark!" Peter straightened up slightly, smiling at the man. "You were looking for me? Did you need something?"

"Not really, no." Tony batted his hand dismissively as he neared the bed. "That was just an excuse to come see Loki sick. I didn't think it was possible for you to catch an 'earth bug'."

Loki rolled his eyes as he set the empty soup bowl down, "I am not sick. I'm just not at full strength today."

"Same thing." He glanced around at the Ibuprofen bottle and cold cloths on the table, and Peter's school books in the corner, hiding a chuckle at the sight. "It was caused by the fire the other day, right? Are you sure it's not heat exhaustion?"

"It's neither-" Loki broke off into a coughing fit, causing Peter to frown but answer Tony's question.

"No, he's pretty coherent, and he's not really sweating or fainting, or anything like that."

"I see..." Tony nodded a bit, "I know just the thing that will cure that cough though! It's in the lab, I'll go get it."

He was gone before Loki could protest, because he really didn't need help... All of this would be gone shortly; he just needed to bear with it until then. But no one seemed keen to listen to him.

"He just wants to help out too," Peter grinned, apparently amused with Loki's annoyed expression.

"I don't need helping... I don't like the idea of owing favors to others."

"Favors?" Peter's head tilted slightly before shaking. "It's nothing like that! Mr. Stark is helping you because he wants to, not to mention he's been trying to find a way to thank you for saving me that time with the enhanced bad guys in the blizzard...!"

"Thank me...?"

"Yeah, I almost died, remember?" -Loki remembered it painfully well- "Mr. Stark was there when I woke up and told me that if it weren't for you, I would have died. You were fast thinking and protected me when the enhanced came to get us, not to mention finding a way to call the others in. But even if you hadn't of done that, we'd still want to help you. You're our friend, and we humans hate seeing our friends suffer."

It was quiet for a while, Loki taking in the information. He had assumed that during that time, just him being near Peter would have made it worse... but now they were saying that he had saved him?

"Fine..." Loki finally, and reluctantly, agreed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to be taken care of for once."

When Tony had come back, it was to their surprise that he was holding a medicine bottle as well. Apparently Wakanda had sent over their 'cure all' medicine. It was tasteless and small; the only side effect was drowsiness that hit Loki almost immediately.

Tony stayed for a little after the trickster had gone to sleep, talking with Peter before he was called out for business, letting Peter get back to his school books. Now and then, the other Avengers in the Compound stopped by to check up on Loki, bringing their own little gifts for him. Wouldn't Loki be surprised when he saw all the stuffed animals and hot tea waiting for him...

Sometime later, just as Peter was finishing his homework, Thor came back with his own stuffed animal (a snake, to both of their amusement).

"I'm glad to see he's resting now," Thor chuckled, placing the toy snake on the edge of the bed. "He hardly slept when he was sick last time."

"Last time?" Peter asked, "You mean when you two went to the fire realm as kids?"

"He told you about it?"

Peter nodded, "Before he went to sleep the first time, he told me a bit about how you two went there and the lady helped you get back."

"Ah, Sinmara... So nice of her to not tell Surtr about our visit. However, father was furious when she had called upon him to get us..." Thor chuckled and shook his head at the memory. "I didn't know that Loki was a Frost Giant at the time, so it didn't make sense to me why the heat affected him more than I. But he had gotten very sick after being there for so long. He didn't eat and barely slept for days... Mother, father, and I had all spent restless nights by his bedside.

"When his fever broke back then, and he was able to get a proper night's sleep, I was still worried for him and had the guards move my bed into his room. He called me an idiot when he woke up, but he was still happy. He was very clingy when sick..." Another chuckle left him as Thor reminisced, glancing over at his brother.

"So much has changed since then... But I am glad that he's stronger now."

"Change is good though, right?" Peter asked, watching the two of them. "If things hadn't changed the way they did between you two, then you might not be where you are now. If Loki hadn't of tricked you that first time, and you weren't sent to Earth and met Ms. Foster, then the Avengers might never have been formed into such a great team."

Thor thought about it before smiling and nodding along, "Correct indeed, Man of Spiders. Change is very good."

The topic changed as the two continued to talk, neither of them noticing the green eye opening slightly, or the small -genuine- smile spreading across pale lips.

Change was definitely good, Loki silently agreed.


	7. Blue

**Request by PreciousCinamonRoll ! I'm so sorry it's so short! It's been a while since I watched movies with Loki in them and I feel like I'm losing my grip on his character... It doesn't help that I now hear Loki's voice as a fandub version of Papyrus from UnderTale... I need to watch Ragnarok again...**

 **Loki might be a bit OOC (out of character) for this. Like I said, I haven't watched any of the Thor movies in a while, so I forgot some stuff about Frost Giants... Like their ice powers? Do they have ice powers? If not, I'll edit this later...**

Loki normally prided himself in keeping a firm hold on his emotions, even his rage. He no longer had uncontrollable urges to stab anyone when females became too flirty for him at parties, or when Thor annoyed him (dealing with criminals, however, were a different story). And if he ever did have a momentary lapse of control, it was easily fixable by an illusion.

However... Loki currently faced a problem he hadn't dealt with since his childhood.

His mind was too scattered to properly form an illusion, and that only caused the unbearable terror to escalate. _Why couldn't he form an illusion_?

Loki had joined the team on a mission that had a particularly powerful enhanced with the ability to clone others' powers. Just their luck that the criminal chose Wanda to duplicate... Gave the team hell, that was for sure. Loki had managed to stay in the clear for quite a while; he and Wanda were the best fighters against that opponent.

But then Peter screamed... the boy had been caught with the red magic and slowly being crushed by it. Loki knew better than to rush into something, he really did. He yelled at Thor and Peter enough for it when they ran head first into a fight without a plan. But damn it, he just couldn't sit by while Peter was slowly killed.

And like the hypocrite he was, Loki rushed to Peter and freed him from the magic, but was soon hit with a blast that sent him through two walls and away from the others.

He had no idea how long he had been down, the visions that plagued his mind gave him no way to tell the time. But by the time he had truly opened his eyes, his heart was racing and his body was sweating and he couldn't collect his thoughts enough to reason that what he saw was just a made up dream. It wasn't real. Why couldn't he believe that it _wasn't_ _real_?

How could it not be real when everything was still so _blue_? Why was it blue? Everything was blue and flickers of red hues danced around the edges of his vision like his own eyes were mocking him. But he would have preferred the red over the blue. After what he saw, he would have taken any color but blue...

Why was it _blue_?

"Mr. Loki...?" A familiar voice called, causing the man to tense. He heard a body moving through the rubble that he had crashed through, and frost started to gather at his hands in defense against whatever may come to attack him.

 _There_!

A small body tumbled through the wreckage just as Loki used an ability he didn't want to freeze them. Something in the back of his mind told him to wait and see who it was, but the images kept resurfacing in his mind and wouldn't allow him to think logically. So he ran on instinct and shot ice at the person that was currently climbing around the ceiling.

When Peter entered the room that Loki was in, he didn't know what he was expecting. But getting attacked by ice was definitely nowhere near being on the list. He had managed to dodge at the last second, clinging onto the ceiling as he crawled from the barrage of attacks being flung at him. Since when did Loki have ice magic? Something told him it wasn't an illusion, at least, he really didn't want to test it and find out. Could it have something to do with him being a... what had Thor called it? An Ice Giant?

Whatever Loki's true race was, Peter had to work hard to be extra careful. Because this blue form that Loki had obviously was going through some kind of panic attack and didn't know that Peter was a friend.

Panic attack... Peter had never imagined he'd ever see Loki having a panic attack, never mind him looking so scared. Peter could deal with Loki's anger any day, but seeing the pure fear in his eyes was something Peter never wanted to see again.

"Loki!" Peter shouted as he dropped from the ceiling, shooting webs at him and frowning as Loki dodged them all. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

It took a bit more acrobatics and four different web shooting settings before Peter managed to pin one of Loki's hand down and finally turned the tide in their small battle. Peter flipped over Loki and pinned his other hand to his side, then shot a web grenade at his feet, effectively keeping Loki in place.

"Get away from me!" Loki's red eyes flared as he struggled, his movements desperate and sharp with fear. Peter's brows furrowed together as he slowly crouched to the ground, pulling off his mask.

"Loki... It's me, Peter. You don't have to be afraid; no one is going to hurt you." Peter relaxed slightly as he saw Loki's struggles start to die off, slowly inching closer to him. "We're friends; you're one of my best friends... I don't know what that guy showed you to make you react like this, but it was all just a dream, it wasn't real."

"It wasn't real..." Loki repeated, his eyes distant but body relaxed.

"That's right, it wasn't real," Peter nodded, now crouched right in front of the blue man.

"But they were-"

"An illusion created by a really bad dude that stole Miss Wanda's power, it was all in your head..."

An illusion created by that man... That's right. It was an illusion, just like what he had wanted to create in the beginning. He wanted to create an illusion to hide this part of himself... His mind was clearer now, and the familiar warmth of his magic easily washed over him and erased his Jotunheim heritage. He cast the illusion of his normal self standing in the room, calm and collected - as things should be.

When he looked to Peter, however, the boy's frown deepened even more.

"That Copy-Cat caught me off guard for a second, nothing more. Let's join with the others and finish this." Loki instructed, attempting to regain some of his dignity as he started to leave the room. Peter stopped him though, grabbing the edge of his sleeve to halt him before two thin yet strong arms wrapped around Loki from behind.

Loki stiffened, unsure of what to do with this kind of affection... It had been a very, very long time since he received a hug. Should he return it? Push Peter away? Just stand there doing nothing like he was now?

"You don't have to hide, Loki."

And just like that, the illusion faded to show Loki's cold blue skin and dark red eyes. He hadn't meant to release it, he really didn't want to... Because he was Loki Odinson - prince of Asgard, the rightful king of Jotunheim, god of mischief... He was strong, but this form made him weak. His current state of mind made him weak. He couldn't show weakness like this, if he did-

"You're aren't weak, there's nothing wrong with having emotion. Emotions are what make us human," Peter seemed to nod at his own words, his head brushing Loki's back. "Oh- you're not human, but I meant it like 'you're a good guy' not like you're weak or anything, because I just said that you weren't weak," Peter faltered for words, his ability to speak going downhill very fast.

Damn this child...

A small smile made its way onto Loki's face, his hand - that was turning back to its normal pale tan - placed over Peter's arm and patted it gently.

"Thank you, young one."

"Anytime, Mr. Loki. What are friends for?"


	8. Sick Day 2-point-0

**Request by Hoideheymwtoday on Wattpad! Loki's interaction isn't really there until the end... and it's really not that much... Sorry! . I tried my best, and rewrote it a few times, but I still feel like it's failing somehow. I still hope you like it though!**

It was safe to say that Peter had an adequate amount of medical knowledge. When his aunt and was a nurse and one of his role models was a medical scientist, it kinda became natural for him to learn a few things. Not to mention how many times he had needed immediate Med-Bay attention (but he wouldn't get into that thought).

The point was, Peter could instantly tell the moment he got sick. He felt the moment his body started to ache and how sluggish his movements were. His stomach was in knots as well, and it took every bit of self control and strength he had to not throw up whenever he smelled food (or anything really, his stomach apparently didn't like any smell at the moment).

All medical knowledge that Peter had told him it would be best to take it easy for the day, let his body rest as much as it could and go to bed early.

Would Peter listen to all his medical knowledge?

Nope.

It wasn't entirely his fault though! He had no control over the three pop quizzes, P.E., or Flash that he faced. Those combined were enough to tire him out on a normal day, so Peter decided to go home and get painkillers and maybe a nap in before he started patrolling... Of course though, crime waits for no one and Peter had to rush into his suit when he came across some gangsters cornering a young girl.

Since he was already in his suit after that, why not just stay out and start his normal paroling routine? He had superhuman healing after all, he'd be better soon anyway!

.

.

.

Four days had passed and he didn't get better. Only worse... And yet somehow he was still managing to do his homework and patrolling without too much hassle. He wasn't getting as much sleep as he probably should though, but that wasn't important.

The only reason his growing sickness wasn't found out yet was probably because May had been pulling double shifts for the last few nights now and wasn't around much to actually see the dark eye-bags Peter was sporting on his too-pale skin. Or the fact that he was starting to lose weight from all the food he was not eating... That probably wasn't good.

Today however, might be different.

It was Friday, meaning that he would be hanging out with the Avengers until Monday. He was probably going to get in a lot of trouble once they found out about his little sickness... and he wouldn't blame them. Mr. Stark would probably ground him and take away his patrolling for a while, Mr. Rogers would definitely lecture him, and Loki... it was only a few weeks ago that Loki was sick and he had insisted on bed rest for the man. He could only imagine what Loki would say now that the tables had turned...

Unless... he found a way to hide that he was sick. It wouldn't be easy, and it definitely wasn't smart, but if he could just stay out of the spotlight until he got better, then there would really just be a slap on the wrist and someone telling him not to do it again!

Forming a plan in his head, Peter swung through the streets of New York to go home and prepare. He had a few hours before Happy came to pick him up, meaning that he had to work fast. It was kind of like when you had a major test in school and you were just studying the subject the night before... But whenever Peter did that, he normally passed. So he thought that this was a good sign.

Once he was home, he took the bottle of orange juice out of the fridge and started gulping it down, walking with it to the bathroom (he almost water boarded himself, who knew walking and drinking was so difficult?). He lowered the juice and placed it on the counter as he started digging through the medicine cabinet, finding the strongest bottle there was and taking two pills. He thought about taking a cough syrup as well, but he _really_ didn't want to do that... So instead he went and raided May's vitamin cabinet.

Once he was sure he had enough healthy stuff in him to make even the most devoted 'Nutritionally Correct' person cringe, he went to start on his homework as he waited for Happy. Which wasn't long as the man arrived early.

"Hey, Happy, thanks for picking me up," Peter said with a smile, doing his best to swallow down a cough.

Happy grumbled something out as he raised an eyebrow at Peter in the rear view mirror as he pulled out onto the street. "Are you okay? You look awful."

"I do?" Peter frowned as he looked at himself in the window reflection; he had thought he looked pretty okay... Maybe it was the fact that he had the mother of all migraines destroying the inside of his head? He had no idea if he was hiding that well or not... Shouldn't the medicine have kicked in by now?

"Like you haven't slept in a few years. I know you admire Tony, kid, but copying his sleep schedule isn't a good idea."

Peter chuckled (hopefully not in a nervous way) as he glanced at Happy. He had to be careful now; if Happy caught on that he was sick... It wouldn't be a pretty picture when he told the Avengers.

They made small talk for the rest of the ride, some awkward conversations about May, and a lot of silence.

Peter almost sighed in relief when they got to the Compound; he loved Happy, but the man always noticed the smallest details that Peter didn't want him to...

Looking up at the large building, Peter smiled. He felt like he was home... With his designated mom-friend waiting for him.

Loki stood in front of one of the window walls on the top floor, the silhouettes of the others moving behind him. Even from that distance, Peter saw the welcoming smirk Loki gave him, his head jerking slightly in invitation.

Peter didn't wait, he ran inside and into the 'family room' (as it had started to be called) where everyone was. The sight before him made it clear about why they had started calling it such a name... Thor, Steve, Scott, and Clint were playing Just Dance; Sam and Tony placing bets on who would win; Nat, Bruce, and Bucky were watching them from the sofa with amused soft smiles; and Hope and Pepper laughing at their friends from their seats. Loki and Wanda were the only two that weren't participating with the activities... Wanda was reading a book in the corner of the room, and Loki was still standing by the windows - though he moved more towards the group.

Peter felt bad... Wanda was still mourning the loss of Vision. It was a wonder that she was even here, since she normally went off on her own unless absolutely needed. Peter should spend more time with her and find a way to cheer her up. It was the least he could do now that they were both the two youngest on the team.

"Pete!" Tony grinned, waving him over, "It took you long enough to get here, I have fifty on you to beat Scott's high score. If you let me down, you're out of the will."

Peter blinked as he looked at his mentor, "I'm in the will?"

Tony couldn't answer him because Clint let out an exclamation at his loss. Scott was the undefeated champion it would seem...

"Think you can beat me, Spidey?" Scott chuckled as he tossed the Wii remote in the air, flipping it and attempting to catch it again - but he dropped it and awkwardly jerked down to swipe it up.

"I'll try!" Peter laughed (despite his head pounding in time with the loud music) as he took the remote that Clint begrudgingly gave up.

Eight rematches later, Peter was at the top of the chart and (unknowingly) nearly one-hundred dollars richer.

A few of the team members surrounded Peter, patting his shoulders or back. Loki hung around the edge of the group, closely watching the boy. There was something... off about him. During his dancing battles, he seemed to be in pain. Not to mention how thin he was, or his pale skin and dark under-eye bags. Still, if Peter was sick, it was impressive how well he was able to dance. Not that that was any reason Loki would let him off the hook...

While everyone was celebrating his victory, Peter suddenly had the sinking feeling that drinking an entire bottle of orange juice earlier was a bad idea... His stomach was twisting in knots with bile rising in his throat; when he felt the color draining from his face and a cold chill come over him, he knew what was about to happen.

He took a step back from the others, placing one hand over his mouth and the other on his stomach, praying that he wouldn't throw up on the floor of the Compound in front of the Avengers. He knew that was exactly what would happen though if he didn't do something soon...

"Peter?" Loki questioned, noticing the boy's sudden strange behavior and placing everyone's full attention on him. The trickster was shocked by the look of desperation in Peter's eyes, stunning him only for a second before he jumped into action.

Grabbing the small garbage can by the edge of the sofa, Loki held it under Peter just as the boy lost his battle with his stomach.

The team all took an instinctive step away as Peter dropped to his knees, clutching the can close to him as he threw up. Loki knelt down, gently rubbing Peter's back as pained tears slipped from his eyes. When he started to dry heave and gasp for air, Bruce pushed his way to the duo and felt his forehead.

"He's burning up..." He shook his head in disapproval, "We need to get him in bed, he's really sick - probably has been for a while."

Loki's frown deepened as he continued to rub Peter's back, gently picking him up as soon as his body calmed down enough for it.

"I-I can walk-"

"Do not try to fight back, child," Loki murmured as he adjusted his grip on the boy. "It's a battle you will lose."

Peter kept silent, knowing full well what that tone of voice meant when coming from Loki. He was definitely in a lot of trouble. And to make matters worse, he caught a glimpse of Tony before leaving the room... he'd be lucky if he ever got his suit back after this.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Loki asked as he got to Peter's room, laying him in the bed.

"I didn't mean to hide it...!" Peter argued, ending in a hard cough at the strain it cause on his throat. "I thought it would get better on its own... but it never did and I was too deep in to admit it."

Loki rolled his eyes as he took up residence in Peter's desk chair. "You should care for yourself more. Besides, what was it you told me? 'Going out will only make you suffer and spreading germs isn't cool'?"

"That was... different."

"Only because it's you, you stubborn fool."

Their conversation was cut short when Tony and Bruce came in the room, neither one of them looking happy as they brought in medicines and other things to set down on the desk next to the bed.

"I'm going to ask you this once," Tony started, "how long have you been sick? And you better not lie to me because so help me I will-"

"Nearly five days now." Peter quickly answered, looking down at his bed. "I took medicine for it this morning though, and drank a lot of juice and vitamins."

Bruce shook his head slightly, "Your metabolism is a lot faster than a normal person's, so you probably already worked that medicine through your system. I created a pain reducer for enhanced a few years ago, that's what this is," He raised a small bottle and shook it, the pills rattling inside of it. "Take one every five hours, no skipping or overdosing."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Loki announced, drawing everyone's eyes to him. Tony looked like he wanted to argue at first, but held his tongue and nodded.

"Okay, but if he gets worse, tell me immediately." He smirked a bit as he patted Bruce's shoulder, "Or I'll send the Hulk after you."

Peter fought down his laugh as Loki's body tensed, the man only responding with a nod.

After making sure Peter took his first pill correctly, the two geniuses left the room. It was quiet for a while before Loki's body disappeared from his seat just as the door opened and Loki walked in with a bowl of water and a small towel.

"You are still pretty warm, bringing your temperature down will help you feel better," He said as he set the bowl on the small table and squeezed the towel out. Peter hid a chuckle as he leaned back in the bed to let the towel sit on his forehead.

"Thanks, Loki," Peter smiled, relaxing a bit. Loki was right; the coolness seeped into his skin and eased his headache, which also gave a little comfort to his achy body. He couldn't help but close his eyes at the feeling, the pain slowly leaving him even more.

The room was filled with silence once again. Peter heard Loki turning pages of something; he could only assume it was a book... He had tried to go to sleep so that Loki could read in peace, and he was very tired now that he thought about it, but he just couldn't push himself that extra bit into the land of sleep. He tried to count, hoping that the boring activity would lull him, but after he got to one-hundred he wanted to see how high he could count and realized that it was only waking him up. Then he listened to Loki's even breathing, which worked for a while until he got bored.

Normally when Peter couldn't sleep, he'd work on his homework... But he doubted that Loki would let him do that now. He slowly opened his eyes to see the man still sitting in the chair reading, his mind debating if he should interrupt him or not.

"Is there something you need, child?" Loki asked, not even looking away from the book. His sudden voice breaking the silence stunned Peter for a second before he looked away to the corner of the room with a sheepish and tired smile.

"I can't sleep..."

Loki nodded as he closed his book, looking at Peter. "What do you normally do to help you sleep?"

"My school work-"

"Out of the question," The man's eyes narrowed as he shook his head, the book disappearing as he crossed his arms.

"You see my problem."

The two looked at each other for a little while before Loki sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Would you like a story?"

Peter's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "Like a bedtime story?"

A chuckle escaped Loki as he shook his head, "No, I will never be caught reading a bedtime story. But you seemed to enjoy the tale of Thor and I as children..."

For a moment, Peter's eyes brightened as he nodded excitedly - then he was rudely reminded that he was sick and such a fast movement really hurt his head. He groaned softly as he leaned back in bed again, trying not to pout when Loki chuckled again.

"Do not hurt yourself just because of a story," The man murmured as he straightened in his chair. "Now is the hard part: what story to tell..."

"What's the most beautiful place you've ever seen?" Peter asked, opening one eye to look at the trickster god. Loki seemed taken aback for a second, raising an eyebrow before smiling and nodding.

"The most beautiful...? There are quite a few, but the most memorable would be the first time I had left Asgard with my mother."

The boy felt as if his heart started to beat faster, Loki never liked to talk about his mother... Peter never pushed to know either. He assumed that it was too painful for Loki to think about, or that he just really didn't want to talk about it with someone who wouldn't understand...

"Mother owned a small castle in Alfheim, sometimes called 'The Land of the Light Elves'. She loved to visit it when she wanted a quiet place to relax or practice her magic. I was around the human age of six when mother invited me to go with her for the first time. I wasn't... the best when it came to physical strength as a child, and so mother decided to teach me about her magic.

"I remember the first time I landed in the field..." Loki smiled faintly, "The grass was the brightest green I had ever seen, with little pink flowers sprouting here and there. The trees were taller than the Compound, but in nearly every color of green; all kinds of animals lived in them as well, even some people that preferred the more... humble lifestyle. I would go to read many times under the trees, sometimes being visited by animals similar to deer that would graze the grass around me. Sometimes we could even see the fawns playing around the castle, making it that much more beautiful...

"Mother's castle was made of gold, hidden deep in the woods with a large lake in front filled with the clearest water you could imagine. She never told anyone when we would arrive there, but the servants were always waiting for her, as if they could feel it when she stepped foot on their planet."

Loki trailed off for a second, his eyes far away as he recalled that time from so long ago. It seemed like a dream, now that he thought of it. Was there really such a time in his life that he was so inexplicably happy and peaceful?

"Mother..." He continued, "she loved walking along the lake, that's where she taught me how to skip rocks, swim, and even where she taught me magic a few time. And in the evenings, the water was a perfect reflection of pink sunset skies that you could hardly tell which way was up or down."

As Loki continued to retell his time on Alfheim, Peter closed his eyes and tried to imagine it. And he did. Peter could see the land of the light elves. He could feel the wind as he ran through a meadow, smell the flowers as he rolled through a field, see all the vibrant colors and beautiful people... He could experience it all with a younger Loki right there with him. Peter himself even felt younger in his mind as he ran and played with Loki in the almost fairy tale-like world...

As Peter drifted more into his dream and farther away from Loki's voice, the man smiled a bit. Loki watched as the green light seeped out of his hand and surrounded Peter's head, reflecting his memories of Alfheim onto Peter - with a few alterations and illusions mixed in. If it helped him get to sleep faster and deeper, then what was the harm in altering their ages in his dream so they could explore together.

When the magic connection was strong enough that Loki needn't concentrate so hard on it, he lowered his hand to Peter's head to check his temperature. It had gone down some, which was good. Maybe by the end of the week he would be back to full health.

If only it were sooner... He would never admit it out loud in front of anyone else, but Loki hated to see Peter so sick and miserable. He remembered what his sickness felt like and that it was much worse for the little human spider-kid.

But under the care of all the Avengers, Loki had faith that the boy would get better soon.

And once Peter was better, Loki was going to give him an earful for pushing himself so much while sick. Loki didn't push himself; he simply didn't stay in bed. Peter was crime fighting and schooling and God knows what else while being sick and only getting worse... The child was related to a healer and spent regular time with Banner, he should know better than that. Not to mention how insistent he was when Loki was sick.

The man watched Peter sleep, a small smirk on his lips as he whispered, "Just you wait, I'll make sure you never do something like this again, young one..."


	9. Chaperone

**Request by Guest on FanFiction Net! There's not a lot of teen interaction... I just couldn't find a way to work it all in, but there is some Mom!Loki down at the bottom! I really hope you like it!**

It had been a slow night of crime fighting for Spider-Man as he sat on the room of a building to eat, which he was thankful for. He wasn't in the most cheerful mood to be dealing out sarcastic quips with bad guys, no matter how many good ones he had thought of earlier in the day. He supposed that the rest of his class felt the same way, considering that even Flash didn't give him too much hassle towards the end of the school day.

Who would be happy when they found out that their field trip to Manhattan was going to be canceled if they couldn't find a chaperone by Friday? It was Wednesday night now, and no adult was able to just drop everything to spend time with a bunch of teenagers... He would have asked May, but he knew she would be working on that day. The Avengers were an option, but half of the team was out of the country on a mission and the other half had their own things planned for the week... Not to mention that he just couldn't ask them for help after everything they had already done for him...

"Well, look who I found?" A smooth voice called from behind him, causing Peter to jump slightly, He soon smiled as he recognized the voice and turned to smiled at the man walking the roof to him.

"Loki! What are you doing in Queens?"

"I was bored and went for a walk," Loki shrugged, going to sit on the edge next to Peter. "Why do you seem upset?"

"I'm-"

"I heard you sighing from the street; don't even try to deny it."

The way Loki's eyes narrowed at him almost comically reminded Peter of the way May got when he tried to hide a present from her. It almost made him laugh.

If he wasn't sighing again, that is. "Remember that school trip I told you about? My class was going to Manhattan for some kind of historic art concert thing? One of the adult chaperones canceled today, and if we can't find a new one by Friday then the whole trip will be canceled... No one's going to volunteer on such short notice though, so the class has sorta given up hope already. I don't really blame them."

Loki nodded slightly; he remembered Peter talking about the trip well. The boy had been so happy about it, saying that the show would be 'so cringey it was great' and rambling on and on about it. It was such a stark contrast against the Peter that sat beside him now while talking about the same topic.

"Stark and May won't be able to go?"

"No, both of them are swamped with work; and I couldn't ask anyone to go anyway, it wouldn't feel right for them to take that much time out of their day for me."

Loki was ready to argue with him right then and there, because the boy needed to finally learn how pretty much every adult in his life would be more than willing to sacrifice their entire existence for Peter's sake, but held back a bit. Because that would make Peter feel guilty if anything ever did happen...

"I'm sure everything will work out in the end," Loki patted Peter's shoulder as they looked out at the skyline. "Someone must have free time to go, you'll see."

As it turned out, Loki was right. The next day at school, Mr. Harrington announced that they had a new last minute chaperone. He wouldn't say who it was, looking almost scared as the students persisted, but Peter didn't care who it was. Someone's relative had freed up time for them and now they could go on the trip.

He would definitely thank them Saturday.

Imagine Peter's surprise when he saw the Prince of Asgard leaning against the bus with the other chaperones, being gawked at by the students and adults alike while he read his book. He quickly walked over with wide eyes.

"Loki...! What are- How did-? I thought you were busy!"

The book closed and disappeared in a flash of green as Loki sent a smirk at Peter. "I was, but you needed a chaperone, right? So I changed some things on my schedule to help you out."

Peter's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly in shock. He was going to say something, he should definitely say something... maybe like how he wasn't worth that but he was really grateful and all that, but the look in Loki's eyes... There was an emotion in Loki's eyes that had him stuck for words.

"Thank you," Was the most that he could say without getting choked up. He had seen that look in May's eyes when she would surprise him with new shoes, or when Mr. Stark had snuck in to one of his decathlon competitions when Peter gave the winning answer... Peter knew what that emotion was, and no matter how many times someone showed it to him, it always left him feeling warm and happy...

"Of course," Loki nodded, pushing off the bus as Mr. Harrington called for everyone. From the corner of his eye, he watched Peter stay near him in the small sea of teens. Loki had seen when the boy's eyes had gone misty, but he was thankful no scenes were caused. While Loki would do pretty much anything for Peter at this point, and he was glad that Peter was finally starting to understand that, he had no idea how to treat a crying person. Peter didn't seem like the type to cry like that, especially not in front of a crowd, but if there was one thing he had learned... anything was possible when it came to Peter.

As it turned out, anything was possible when it came to Peter's classmates as well. Loki had faced many terrible foes before, but none of them would ever compare to the monstrosities that now plagued him.

"You work for Spider-Man now, right?" One boy asked, nearly pushing Peter out of his seat next to Loki.

"What's space like?" Another asked from behind him.

"Can you give a message to your brother for me?"

"What's it like being an Avenger?"

"Are you really an Avenger?"

Loki grit his teeth together as he glanced at Peter from the side, muttering quietly so no one would hear, "Seven..."

Peter's eyes widened as he stood up from his seat and faced his peers, "Okay guys, stop questioning him so much; it's kinda overwhelming, don't you think?"

Most of them nodded sadly in agreement, going to their seats again to talk with their friends. Of course though, Peter wouldn't get that lucky... there was always that one-

"Don't think you're so hot now just because you're sitting with an Avenger, Penis," Flash laughed, roughly tousling Peter's hair.

Peter stiffened as he glanced to the side, seeing Loki's eyes wide with shock and growing rage, aimed right at the annoying boy. "Flash, I really think you should go sit down now..."

"Or what? You'll get the Avenger to avenge you?" Flash laughed as he placed a hand on Loki's shoulder, "Nice try, but everyone can tell that you're just pushing yourself on him, it's not like he really cares about you - or a bunch of kids like us. He's just here because you probably begged on your knees for one of them to-"

"If you wish to keep your hand," Loki started with a low voice, "I suggest you remove it from me this instance, you mindless cur."

The students that were still nearby all moved away, some even hopping seats to give Loki, Peter, and Flash much needed room in case there was a fight. Flash was obviously confused at first - why on earth an Avenger wouldn't want to be touched by him was mind baffling - but his survival instincts soon kicked in and he quickly yanked his hand away.

However, Loki wasn't finished with him yet. The man stood, towering over the teen with a hard glare. "I know your minuscule human mind can't hold much information in it, but I advise that you remember what I'm about to tell you, and remember it well because your miserable life may depend on it one day. This boy-" Loki's hand landed on Peter's shoulder, "- is under my protection. And if I _ever_ hear you call him anything other than his name again, I will make you regret ever being born."

The entire bus was silent, Peter nervously looking around for Mr. Harrington talking with the driver outside and out of hearing distance. At least he didn't have to worry about them getting kicked out... Flash however-

Peter had to stop himself from laughing as he took in Flash's expression. He had never seen the other boy so shocked - not even when Spider-Man stole his car during Homecoming. His eyes were wide and nearly about to pop out of his head, his mouth hanging open like a fish out of water as he tried to form words but failed terribly. He really shouldn't be laughing... he should be reining Loki in so he wouldn't kill anyone. He shouldn't find Flash's suffering so utterly hilarious.

"Loki, I think that's-"

Before Peter could finish, one of the boys in the back of the bus started clapping and soon brought the rest of the class in too. They apparently had been waiting for this moment for a while...

Flash sent a quick glare at Peter before going to his seat, and Peter knew that he'd probably pay for Loki's speech later on... But he really couldn't care right now.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Harrington asked as he and the driver came inside the bus, looking around with a confused smile at the happy students.

"Mr. Loki just gave a really good speech is all," Ned explained quickly, patting Peter's shoulder from across the aisle. When Mr. Harrington nodded and went to sit, Ned leaned over and whispered, "That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen...! Not only is Tony Stark looking out for you, but so is freaking Loki...!"

Peter glanced over at Loki, the trickster sitting again with his book and seemingly ignoring the world around him. But Peter could see the small smirk that he was trying to hide behind the pages of that book.

"Yeah," Peter agreed, "It's really awesome."

 **A/N that has nothing to do with the story: For those whodon't know, I'm a cosplayer on TikTok… And I used to cosplay Black Widow when my hair was red so I didn't need a wig. Well, I have since dyed my hair and retired my black body suit. Except for the fact that I have suddenly been swamped by MCU videos on TikTok that is making me want to bring her back… not to mention my undying love for Nat too. Maybe around the fall, I'll have my hair a normal color and can cosplay her again…**

"I'm starving," A girl murmured to her friend as they were leaving the concert, leaning over half-way with her hand pressing against her stomach. "I didn't eat last night or this morning, and my parents didn't give me any money to get something today either..."

Loki frowned as he looked over his shoulder at the girl who said that, zeroing in on her in the small crowd of Peter's classmates. "What do you mean you didn't eat? It's unhealthy to skip meals like that."

The girl blinked in surprise as she stared up at him and shook her head, "I'm trying to diet-"

"No." Loki turned his full body to her now with a scowl, "You are a young woman that is still growing, you need food to grow. Not to mention that your body is perfect the way it is." He glanced around at the group and frowned more as he saw more stances that implied hunger. "How many of you haven't eaten this morning?"

More than half the students raised their hands, Loki's eyes narrowing in on Peter trying to make himself small with a look of guilt plastered all over his face. Human children were idiots...

"Educator," Loki called to Mr. Harrington in the middle of the foyer to the concert hall, "find us a place to eat. These children need nourishment."

The teacher's eyes widened as he immediately began shuffling everyone back to the bus, rambling about how starvation was 'no laughing matter.'

"Dude," Ned grabbed Peter's sleeve, "did the Prince of Asgard just become the reluctant mom friend to our class?"

Peter laughed, but watching as Loki bought food for everyone later on... he didn't deny that Loki had definitely become everyone's mom friend.


	10. Family of Bears

**A/N: well... This turned out a lot darker and more serious than I intended for this idea... So fair warning I guess? I'm also tempted to use this as another story (chapters that connect, plot, etc), but I don't think I have time for it... If you like this idea, leave a comment and tell me about it? If I get enough feedback, I could probably do it!**

 **Enjoy!**

Peter could honestly say that he's had better days. Maybe even better weeks... When had his week started spiraling downhill like a flaming car with no breaks? Could it have been when Flash nearly broke his nose in PE? Or when MJ started hanging out with one of the seniors? It might have something to do with all three of his parental role models canceling their plans with him (funny how none of them knew that the others canceled either). Whatever minor thing that started the flaming car down the hill, Peter really had to find a way to stop it... Because any further down the hill and he might end up dead.

"I can't believe that Spider-Man is a kid..." A bald headed man with an accent Peter couldn't quite place muttered, glaring at Peter tied to a chair. "All that extra work we had to go through to capture you... and you're just some stupid kid."

"Actually, I took one of those IQ tests on Buzzfeed and it said I was 'gifted' with a score of one-" A heavy fist lined with knuckle busters landing in Peter's stomach, effectively cutting him off. He gasped for air, fighting back against the blood that was coming up and hindering his oxygen supply. That probably wasn't a good sign. It was probably even worse that he had been coughing up blood for the last thirty minutes now.

Peter had to admit, these guys were smart... Staging a robbery, creating their own drug to knock him out, the chains that would send an electric shock so powerful it would give him a small seizure if he tried to pull on the chains, even the peppermint smell filling the room (who knew that he would lose almost all his strength just because of a few drops of peppermint oil?). They thought of and planned everything, even waiting until after he had called May and saying he would be out late and that she shouldn't wait up for him. Of course, all possible trackers had been taken care of as well - his watch being carted around Queens for the majority of the night and his suit fried like the food at an American fair (he actually fried his suit when he tried getting out of the chains, whoops).

Safe to say, Peter was their play toy until tomorrow afternoon.

"You know," He coughed, "it's rude to hit someone when they're in the middle of talking. Didn't your mother ever teach you that?"

Oh... Oh, he shouldn't have said that...

It was a wonder how no one had heard his screaming and sent the police... Peter was almost positive that his scream echoed across all of New York. It felt like hours he had been screaming and reeling from the pain inflicted on him, though the sun would have been up by now if he had. Unfortunately, he was still cloaked in the dim light of a flickering lamp that was seriously messing up his eyes.

As far as he could tell, there were two more men hiding in the shadows. He wasn't entirely sure because damn, that peppermint messed him up more than the light. If he could just get out of the chains though... Peter was positive he'd be able to handle a few normal humans - if that's what they really are.

Baldy's hand knotted in the back of Peter's hair, yanking it to force Peter's head up to gaze at the man.

"Listen, kid... I don't want to be here anymore than you. I know that messing with you is basically a suicide mission. But my superiors want to get revenge on the Avengers for what they did to us, and what better way than to take their precious pet?"

Don't do it, Peter. Don't you dare do it... Your body will end up in a ditch on the edge of - oh hell. "Great, another one of you 'Revengers' – that's what we call people like you," Peter croaked, his voice hoarse. "Let me guess, at some point in time one of the Avengers gave you a funny look through the TV and you decided that all of your life problems were their fault? Geez, I'm getting tired of guys like you. You're all the same. Could you not get your own individuality?"

The man stared at him for a second before a smirk played on his lips, "I don't think you quite understand what's happening here, Mr. Parker."

A chill went down Peter's spine at his name. He knew they knew who he was, but it didn't make it any less unsettling.

"So then tell me. Because all I know is that you're some sicko that likes to beat up kids."

The man circled around him a few times, his smile growing each time and effectively creeping Peter out to the max.

"I'm sure you've heard of us before... We are sleeper cells for a company called Hydra."

Peter was wrong before. Now he was creeped out to the max plus had chills going down his spine. "I thought Hydra was wiped out..."

"We are inevitable. Cut off one head, three more will grow. No one can ever truly end us, no matter how hard they try." He leaned down in front of Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We are always hiding in the shadows, always watching, always waiting. Waiting for a moment like this. You see, Mr. Parker, you will be our new prize. That buffoon, Captain America, stole our last one from us. You will replace him, and become even better."

Peter's eyes were wide as he reeled back slightly. He couldn't mean... there was no way... Baldy was talking about how Steve rescued Bucky, so did that mean he intended to turn Peter into the next Winter Soldier?

"Maybe you are smart, after all, child." Baldy smirked as he stood up. "Yes, we will turn you into a new solider for us. You are young, so you will be easier to manipulate. And with time, you will be the one to destroy the Avengers."

A loud scratching sound assaulted Peter's ears, causing him to flinch back and nearly set off the taser-chains. He didn't realize he closed his eyes until he tried to see what the sound was, finding it slightly difficult to get them open but eventually succeeding. And he really wished he didn't.

It was a large metal table with two robotic arms sticking out of the head, buttons and knobs and spikes all over it. Were they going to put him on that? Is that what Bucky had to go through? He really didn't want anything to do with that...

"Don't worry, Mr. Parker," Baldy stated as he walked over to the table, "You won't forget everything right away. It'll take many, many hours of us working close together for you to actually forget... But that just means more bonding time for us."

"As much as I would love to have lots of... bonding moments with you, I really don't. So if you could just let me go now, that would be great."

"Afraid I can't do that." He waved his hand and one of the men came out of the shadows to place a towel on Peter's arm. The boy was confused at first, what was that supposed to signify? But then he felt the burning pain shooting through his arm and he almost cursed. The towel was soaked in peppermint oil and not only taking his strength and fighting will away from him, but feeling as if it was burning his skin off.

Everything happened in a blur after that. The pain from the oil was clouding his mind enough for him to not fight back when they unchained him from the chair and moved him onto the table, strapping his arms and legs in. He only came out of his daze because of the insistent buzzing above him. The machine was coming to life; the pillars above his head were spinning and crackling with electricity - getting closer with each second.

This was it, Tony and Loki would come busting through the doors any moment now and save him. They would show up and shut the machine down and take him home and he would be able to sleep for the rest of the week. Any moment... They were so close he could almost-

Pure and utter terror coursed through Peter a second before the machine's electric plates pressed against his head. His back rose off the table, his limbs straining against the bindings, and a scream tearing out from his throat.

This... _This_ was hell. This was one of the worst pains Peter had ever felt in his life. The only thing that was more painful was his currently shattered hopes of being saved. Because Tony and Loki weren't there... Why weren't they there?

He must have blacked out at some point, because suddenly it was daylight and he had a mouth guard. His mouth also had a very suspicious metallic taste to it...

"Awake already?"

Peter almost groaned at the sound of Baldy's voice. He would have if the machine hadn't turned on again and he was sent back into his living hell.

He ended up losing track of time, it felt like an eternity but that wasn't possible. Hopefully. His body had started to numb to the pain, which probably wasn't that good... also the fact that he was having difficulty remembering things like his favorite color and what he got for his birthday. Why was he trying to remember those things? Of all the random things he could be thinking about during his torture session, he had to be that.

He faintly heard the sound of Baldy talking to him, reading something to him. Words that stirred something inside of him. That couldn't be right... There had to be a mistake.

Suddenly everything stopped; the pain, the words, the screaming, everything. But there was yelling now. Yelling and explosions...

Peter - against his better judgment - cracked his eyes opened with much difficulty and looked around. He was still strapped to the table, but there were flashes of color in the building now. Mainly red and green... Was it Christmas? What had he gotten for Christmas?

"Peter!" A voice called for him, making him jump slightly. He wasn't used to his name being shouted so loudly. He tried to move his eyes to see who was calling him, because that voice sounded comforting and familiar, but he was having trouble getting his body to cooperate.

Cold hands were on him as a pale face and gold helmet came into his view, worried green eyes looking down at him. "Hold on, child, I'll get you out of this."

Loki's already adrenaline boosted pulse skyrocketed more when Peter's response was his eyes rolling back into his head and his body going limp. Loki wasn't a medic, he never wanted to be a medic, but he really wished he was right now... "Wizard, get over here and help him!"

Seconds later, Dr. Strange was hovering next to Peter, his hands checking his vitals and whatnot. "He's alive, but I need to get him to the med-bay soon. Will you be able to handle yourselves here?"

Loki glanced around the room, seeing Stark in his iron suit taking out two of the men that were holding Peter. His eyes darkened as he saw three other men trying to escape. He opened his mouth to reply to Strange, but the doctor shook his head.

"I'll leave the rest of these men to you." And like that, both the man and the boy were gone in a flash of orange light. It was annoying, but Loki was grateful for it now... because his anger level was way above a ten right now, and he really didn't want Peter to see this.

Standing and moving away from the empty spot where Peter once was, Loki made his way to the locked door that the Hydra agents were trying to get out of. They wouldn't escape though, Loki's magic was what was keeping that door closed and these pathetic humans wouldn't be able to break it.

Seeing the angry god walking towards them, one of the men pulled out his gun and began firing at Loki. He faltered slightly when Loki disappeared in a flash of green; all three of them on edge now as they glanced around.

The door flew open, hitting one of the men in the forehead and sending him flying back into his companions. Loki stood in the doorway, his hands gripping his knives tightly and ready to strike at any moment. He watched the humans try to crawl off of the pile that they were on the floor, and he felt his rage building. These men were begging for his mercy now, kneeling before him, asking that he spare their lives. Had they thought about these things when they were hurting Peter? Did they even view Peter as a person?

A wicked smile spread across Loki's lips, "It's your lucky day, gentlemen. It's not every day that one can be killed by a god of tricks."

He would make them pay; he would repay every injury they gave Peter tenfold.

Unfortunately, Loki momentarily forgot how fragile humans really were and may have killed them before he was finished fulfilling his promise. But that turned out alright in the end, because it was just in time for him to see Stark cornering the supposed leader of this group.

"What did you do to him?" Tony asked, his fist raised and repulsor glowing with deadly energy. "Did you turn him into another one of your pawns? Answer me!"

The bald man started laughing, looking off to where his machine once was. "He called for you. Right before we started the machine, he kept muttering about how the both of you would swoop in and save him. The hope leaving his face right before we fried his mind was great-"

One of Loki's knives went into his leg, an almost growl coming from him, "You are this close to getting _your_ mind removed from your _skull_. Tread lightly with your next words."

Tony silently nodded his agreement with Loki, his repulsor flashing in response. "How far along is the brain washing?"

"Did you know it only takes two days to completely wipe the memories from someone's mind? It's a very special art, one I am quite skilled in, if I do say so myself." He looked up to meet Loki's gaze, then Tony's. "It still takes a few months to make them completely compliant though... But I have a feeling that Mr. Parker is going to be very different for us. You had better keep a close eye on him, because we are halfway in control already. His days with you are numbered."

It was safe to say that Baldy didn't live long after that.

"Strange!" Tony shouted, pacing the room until the orange portal opened. He and Loki walked through, instantly being met with the med-bay waiting room filled with the other Avengers. Loki went to stand by the windows, glaring out at the lake across from the Compound that had the audacity to sparkle in the sunlight while Peter was hurt. Thor went to stand next to him, saying nothing but offering support while listening to Tony explain to everyone what they had found out.

"We're going to have to go Hydra hunting again," Tony said after his explanation came to an end. "We can't let them get Peter; we can never let that happen to him. We have to end Hydra once and for all this time."

"We thought that's what we did before, Tony," Rhodey commented, looking down at his clasped hands. "And that's what will happen again. We'll think we finished them off, but they'll just be laying low for the next few years until they see another opportunity to strike."

"So what? We just... give up and wait for them to take Peter again?"

"That's not what I said-!"

"He's just a kid-!"

" _Enough_!" Loki's sudden outburst caused everyone to freeze, not knowing the man to raise his voice often. "Arguing about it will solve nothing! Stark is right, we cannot let this pathetic excuse for a villainous organization capture Peter again, but we cannot blindly go attacking everything we see in his defense. We need to catch one of them, the newer members, and make them crack, working our way up through the chain. Don't just hit the biggest head and hope the body stops moving with it."

Nat shook her head, "I've interrogated them all before, these men are trained and would never give up their other agents."

"You've used human methods." Loki turned from the window and took a step toward the group, "There are other, more persuading, methods to use."

It was silent for a while, Loki's information sinking into their minds slowly. Before they could discuss what kind of details for this plan, Bruce came out of the med-bay and quickly captured everyone's attention.

Tony quickly moved to stand in front of him, peering around to the closing door behind him. "How's he doing? Is he going to be okay? What about his head, does he remember everything?"

"Whoa, calm down, Tony." Bruce smiled slightly and nodded, "Peter's mostly okay. He has a lot of bruising and a few cracked ribs, but his mind is still there as far as we can tell."

"He's asking for you two," Strange announced, walking out of the room and nodding to Loki and Tony.

Tony was heading for the door not a second later, but hesitated slightly when he didn't hear Loki's footsteps catching up with him. Everyone looked to see Loki facing the window again, some raising an eyebrow at his strange behavior.

Was this really the same man that had nearly gone out of his mind with worry when they discovered that Peter was missing? The man that could barely even wait when Strange arrived to lend them his portals? Why was he not rushing into Peter's room now?

"Brother...?" Thor asked, reaching to place a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki shrugged it off however and turned his head further away.

"I can't see him, not now." His voice was barely above a whisper, but they all still managed to hear it.

"What?" Thor squinted at him, his head tilting slightly. "Why? You couldn't wait to see him earlier, what changed?"

"You wouldn't understand, brother."

"But I might." Tony made his way back towards Loki, standing right behind him. "It's because you kill those Hydra agents, isn't it? You killed them and now you feel like you can't face Peter because of it." The way that Loki's body stiffened was enough answer for anyone.

"I don't expect you to understand either, Stark-"

"Well I do." Tony grabbed Loki's sleeve and pulled, forcing Loki to face him. "I was a mess before I met the kid; parties, women, drinking, I was in a downward spiral really fast. And it got worse after Cap and half the Avengers ran off. I tried to ignore the world; I tried to ignore the kid... But he wouldn't let me. Peter dragged me out of my personal hell and forced me to face my mistakes and learn from them. He has that effect on everyone! He makes us see our mistakes and refuses to let us hide from it! You don't think I feel bad about killing those men? They were human, just like me and the kid. But if we didn't kill them, they would have killed Peter. Not physically, but they would have killed his mind - taken away everything good from him. We killed those men for Peter's sake, and we did the right thing.

"Now I am going to visit the kid, because they hurt him and he needs us. You can stay out here if you want to, but don't you dare say you were worried about him if you do. Because if you were really worried about him, you wouldn't even wait a second to go see how he is now."

The two men glared at each other for a while, neither one of them saying anything until Loki finally sighed and close his eyes. "Fine. I will see him."

A faint smile formed on Tony's face as he went back to Peter's med-bay room, this time with Loki's footsteps trailing behind him.

Once they were both in the room with the door closed, it hit them how serious this situation had been. Seeing Peter's small frame in the bed with bruises and cuts all over his face, they realized that they could have actually lost him...

"Hey," Peter sat up a bit in the bed, trying to hide the obvious pain it caused him, "I was wondering when you would get here."

"We just had to... you know, talk some things over."

Peter nodded with a knowing look in his eyes and a soft smile, and the men both remembered that Peter had enhanced hearing. Well that was slightly embarrassing.

"Peter, listen-"

"Thank you," Peter interrupted Loki. "I knew you guys would come save me, and you did. That's all that matters, not anything else that happened there."

Loki, who had been going to sit in one of the chairs next to Peter's bed, stopped slightly and stared at Peter's sincere eyes. And just like that, Loki felt as if all of his doubts about him killing those humans had vanished. The only thing Peter cared about was that Loki had showed up to help.

Tony smiled at the two from his seat on the other side on Peter's bed. Loki was still new to the whole 'being good thing' but he would learn soon enough that Peter's type of good was very forgiving. But Tony's was more...

"You are in so much trouble."

Peter's eyes widened as he looked over at Tony, "What did I do?"

"You have to be the only kid I know that can get kidnapped by a nearly dead organization! No one has heard from Hydra in years, and then you just had to go and get kidnapped by them!"

"I didn't plan for that to happen though...!"

"Now that I think about it..." Loki raised a brow in thought, a smirk playing on his lips. "How did they manage to capture you, child? I thought you were always watching out for this type of thing?"

Peter frowned and slouched in his bed slightly. This was totally unfair...

"You're a bear cub." Tony announced, drawing curious looks from the others. "No, hear me out. Have you ever seen those videos on YouTube about bear cubs? They're always getting themselves into danger and chaos all the time. And that's exactly what Peter does!"

Silence remained after Tony gave his explanation, everyone just staring at each other for some time. Then, quietly, Peter let out a small laugh. The laugh was contagious because then Tony joined in, and Loki not far after that.

Even if Loki and Tony gave him a hard time, and never let him forget that he was still a child... They were still his favorite parental figures. They were always there to help him when he got into trouble and weren't afraid to do anything to save him.

"I guess we're just a whole family of bears then."


	11. Puppy Dog Eyes

**Request by Puppens101 on FFN! It's a bit different than what I normally write, but this was actually such a cute idea XD I really hope you like it!**

"You know," Peter chuckled as he leaped onto the side of a building, "of all the enhanced people I've had to fight, I don't think I've ever fought with one in the city doing petty crime before."

"What is wrong with you?" One of the criminals shouted, a gun emerging from his body. The man grabbed the gun as it started to fall, aiming at Spider-Man and shooting. Thankfully Peter was faster and jumped out the way.

He had to admit, these two were strange people... Who had ever heard of an enhanced being able to create weapons within his body without being partly robotic? As far as Peter - and Karen's scans - knew, that man was completely made of flesh.

Peter's eyes drifted over to the side of the alley, where a girl that couldn't be much older than himself stood. She had a hoodie hiding most of her face, but she had not said a word nor tried to fight him since Peter had found them breaking into a building. She just stood there like a mindless doll... It was sorta creepy if Peter was being honest.

"Eyes on me, bug-boy!" Peter's spidey senses went off a second before a laser hit the wall next to him, giving him enough time to narrowly dodge the red death-beam.

Don't get distracted, Peter thought to himself as he flipped over the man and landed behind him. This fight was getting too dangerous now that there was a laser involved, meaning Peter would have to finish this quickly.

"Spider's have eight eyes, what makes you think I don't already have eyes on you at all times?"

The criminal actually looked slightly creeped out, but it was enough for Peter to shoot a web in his face and take the laser from his grip. Another web was shot at the man's feet, who lost his balance and started to fall backwards if Peter hadn't of attached a strand of webbing to his chest and lowered him down gently.

"Whoa, that could have been bad. You really should be more careful, we wouldn't want you to-"

"Stop."

Peter's eyes widened as he spun around stumbling backwards as the girl was standing right behind him. How had she managed to sneak up on him? That was nearly impossible! He knew he shouldn't have ignored her...

"Is it time for you to fight me now? I really don't want to fight a girl," A memory of his first (and last) training session with Natasha flashed through his mind, "but last time I held back with one, I got beaten up pretty badly. So if you could maybe just-"

"Enough talking." She lifted her head slightly and Peter suddenly couldn't speak as he gazed at her face. Her eyes were the brightest blue he had ever seen, but they were... cat eyes. She had cat eyes. She raised a hand, her hoodie falling back to reveal white hair and cat ears.

Was she a real life neko girl?

That thought stuck in Peter's head, her unique looks captivating him so much that he didn't pay attention to her glowing hand. It wasn't until a burst of light shot at him that he reeled back, but it was too late. The light shot him right in the chest, all the wind leaving him in a gust as he fell back.

He didn't feel anything at first, just stared up at the dark clouds as the numbness extended from his chest to the rest of his body. May had warned him that it would rain later today... He should have brought an umbrella for when he changed back into his civilian clothes. He really didn't want to get sick again.

His thought process was brought to an end as the numbness started to fade, leaving behind a dull ache that was quickly growing into something a lot stronger. White hot pain was shooting through his entire body, eventually pulling a scream out of him as he tried to curl in on himself.

Through his pain-hazed mind, he faintly noticed how the smells around him were growing much stronger than before. It was nearly overwhelming...

Peter had no idea how long he was laying there, it definitely felt like hours. He didn't even notice when the pain went away, so maybe he had passed out? But he was brought back to reality by someone talking nearby.

"Look at this costume! Why would someone throw it out?"

"I bet we could win that Spider-Man costume contest with something like this...! It's nearly identical- Hey, there's something inside."

Peter's world was jerked around, the sound of shuffling fabric filling his ears as his chin hitting the ground, causing him to yelp. Was he in a bag?

Light assaulted his eyes as the bag was removed; he had to squint at first to make out the shapes in front of him, but his eyes soon widened in shock.

"Giants?" He tried to move out of the very large man's hands, but his body was weird and not moving like it should at all.

"Bro... This is adorable..." The second man muttered, leaning over the shoulder of the giant that was holding Peter. Since when were there giants in New York?

"I bet Kara would love this for her birthday next week."

"Guys, wait a second, I'm not a pet or something...!" Peter tried to pull himself out of the man's hands, but froze as he saw his arms. They were small... and fuzzy. Was that fur? Were his arms covered in golden fur? Where were his hands? He didn't have hands! He had paws!

Taking a second to evaluate himself, Peter noticed a golden snout in the bottom of his vision, and the rest of his body was covered in the same fur as his arms. He was a dog... He was actually a dog.

Thunder cracked overhead, causing all three of them to jump. The guy that was holding Peter brought him closer to his chest, starting to walk away with him. They were going to take Peter away and gift him to some girl like a pet, not knowing that Peter was actually Peter! He wasn't a pet!

Thinking fast, he kicked the man's chest with all his strength (slightly grateful that he didn't have his superpowers at this point) and jumped out of his arms as soon as they loosened from shock. Unfortunately, the drop was larger than he was expecting and he landed wrong, his hand/paw buckling under him. Still, he ignored it and took off running, blocking out the calls behind him.

Out of the alley and onto the street, things were a lot more chaotic... The noise from the traffic and people, the large feet almost trampling him, all the smells, Peter could hardly take it. It was so much... Too much.

His brain was running wild as he ran down the sidewalk, trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation. He needed a moment to collect himself, to think about what happened, to form a plan...

Once he was far enough from the men, he slowed to a stop next to a restaurant, sitting next to the door. He should be fine here.

"Okay," He said, figuring that no one would be able to hear or understand him in this form. "I was hit with that cat-girl's power, so she must have been the one to do this to me. So that means she could probably turn me back. I just need to find her!" He paused a second before letting his head hang low with a sigh, "There's no way I could find her like this. Maybe Karen would be able to- No! Those guys got my suit!"

Peter's eyes widened as he looked down the way he had came, whining slightly. "Mr. Stark is going to kill me for losing that..."

It took him longer than he was proud to admit when he suddenly realized what he needed to do. If he could find a way to the Compound, the Avengers would find a way to turn him back!

"A puppy!" A young voice cried, causing Peter to look up and see a mother and daughter stopped in front of him. "Mommy, can we keep it? Please!"

Peter backed up into the wall of the building more as the woman knelt down, "His paw seems hurt... We should at least take him to a vet."

Just as her hand was reaching out for him, Peter took off running again. What was with these people trying to keep him? People hardly ever picked up stray dogs off the street, what was so special about him?

It didn't just end with those two instances either. Every time Peter had stopped to catch his breath, there was always someone there... Every single time. If he didn't rest soon, he was scared that he'd pass out from the pain in his foot.

The smell of trees and grass caught his attention, and he followed his nose to a park. With the dark clouds overhead, there couldn't be many people there! Just a few taking a short cut as far as he could tell. So he would be safe for a time somewhere in there!

As he trotted across the street, a loud rumble filled the air just before the rain finally let loose upon the earth. Just add to the aesthetics that was Peter's life...

Quickly running into the park, he took refuge under some bushes. It didn't offer much protection, but it was better than nothing. And it gave him time to get his bearings. Which really wasn't much... during all the running he did earlier, Peter had absolutely no idea where he was now. All he knew was that he was a puppy with a hurt foot, in a park, in the rain, and he was getting very cold. How would he get the Avengers to help him now? He couldn't even ask for directions or explain what had happened to him!

His body started shaking from the cold as the rain seeped into his fur. He hated this... Who knew that being a puppy could be so lonely? It was surprisingly scary to be on his own while in a body this small and helpless. It had been a long time since he last felt helpless, and he really didn't miss this feeling at all. If only he could have just one person that he even somewhat knew, this might be a better experience, but so far-

Footsteps hurrying through the rain caught Peter's attention, his eyes following fancy black shoes as they tread through the water on the sidewalks. Those shoes seemed familiar... Following the shoes up to the black pants and the rest of the body, Peter's hopes suddenly skyrocketed.

"Loki!"

Without thinking, Peter ran over to him and stopped right in front of Loki, bringing the man to a halt.

"What do you want?" Loki asked, scowling slightly. "I am not in a good mood today, so hurry along before you regret it."

The pup faltered slightly as Loki sidestepped him and continued to walk to the park exit. Loki was just going to leave him there, a defenseless little puppy? This was Peter's first glimmer of hope since this whole thing started, he wouldn't let it pass that easily.

Running after him, Peter bit down on Loki's pants, growling and locking his feet in an attempt to hold the man there. And it sort of worked... Loki did stop. He was angry now though as he reached down and scooped Peter up with one hand under his stomach, holding him at eye level.

"You earth creatures are so-" Loki cut himself off as he stared at Peter's eyes. The boy's ears perked up, the hope that Loki would recognize him growing even more. "Strange... Your eyes are... very similar to someone I know."

Peter let out a yip, his tail wagging as he nodded his head, silently begging that Loki would finish putting the pieces together. He didn't know what he would do if this failed.

"This is ridiculous..." Loki sighed and closed his eyes in preparation for the embarrassment he was about to ensue on himself, "but bark three times if you're really Peter."

He was so happy, Peter almost wanted to cry. Instead, he did as Loki instructed and barked, laughing as Loki jumped a bit.

"Peter...?" Loki's eyes were wide as he stared down at the golden retriever puppy in his hand, his brows furrowing in confusion as the puppy barked again. There was no way that this was Peter, humans weren't able to shape shift... But an enhanced might be able to. And the way that this dog was moving its head was very similar to the way a human would nod. "Did you get attacked by an enhanced...?"

The force of Peter's tail wagging was shaking his whole body, but he could care less. Loki believed him and he would find a way to fix this, Peter would be human again soon!

Loki's hold adjusted on Peter, tucking him safely into his chest. "We need to get you to the others and find out how to fix this. Stark should be able to find a way to understand you better, and make sure that you aren't hurt from this or anything."

Peter had a feeling that he shouldn't mention the way that his paw was in burning pain... but Bruce would probably figure that out pretty soon. The thought of what everyone's reaction would be to this made him a bit anxious, there might be some yelling, definitely lots of lecturing... Would he be grounded?

Those thoughts were slowly fading away though, because Loki unbuttoned his coat as he walked and moved Peter inside to keep him warm. And it was warm... Warm and safe and Peter was so tired and in pain. His eyes started to slip closed as he nuzzled more into Loki's chest, protected from the outside world and all the craziness he faced today.

Loki, while still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Peter was a puppy, couldn't help his gaze from softening at the sight of his small head leaning against his arm while sleeping. This would be humiliating if this wasn't really Peter... but something told him that this was the boy. Those eyes alone were proof enough, Loki would recognize them anywhere - he had fallen victim to their begging far too many times.

How had this happened though? Peter was normally more careful when fighting enhanced, had something drastic happened to him in order for his guard to be down so much that he got hit with someone's power? Or had the child done something stupid like ignore one of his attackers? It could honestly have gone either way, and that's what worried Loki. Because both of those scenarios could have resulted in Peter getting hurt, and he hadn't missed the way that Peter tried to keep weight off of his front paw... He also noticed how his breathing was heavy and his body was shaking; whatever Peter had gone through, it took a toll on this small body of his.

The trip back to the Compound was quick, Loki going straight there instead of to the store to look for Thor's 'limited edition pop-tarts' like he was supposed to. Once at the Compound though... things were hectic.

People were running all around, both inside and out. Most of them were carrying papers or preparing vehicles to leave, it was almost as if they were getting ready for a mission...

"Brother!" A deep voice called, Loki's head turning away from the workers to see Thor quickly walking to him. "Peter has gone missing; Stark says he was injured before all of his sensors were dropped from the radar. Some of us are about to head out to search for him now."

Loki sighed, he was about to be laughed at by everyone... "Don't let them leave; I need to meet with everyone at once. I know where Peter is."

Thor's eyes widened as he watched his brother stride into the large building, confusion on his face as he slowly went off to round up the search party that was about to head out.

Once everyone was - reluctantly - pulled away from their duties to meet in the mission briefing room, Loki had formed some kind of an idea of what to say to them all. Now he just needed them to believe him...

"Loki," Stark commanded as he walked into the room, "Thor said you know where Peter is? What happened, were you there?"

He shook his head slightly as he looked across the faces of everyone there, "No, I wasn't there. But I found Peter later on and got a little information out of him..."

"Just a little?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow. She was not getting a good feeling from any of this.

"Peter is not able to... communicate properly right now."

"Is he hurt? Was he attacked? Where is he?"

Loki took a breath, feeling Peter shifting in his arms and most likely starting to wake up from the voices around him. "I believe he was fighting an enhanced... I do not know all the details myself, but apparently they had a very unique power that Peter wasn't expecting. And he was hit with that power... "

Peter moved around more in Loki's jacket, the shuffling bringing everyone's attention to it.

"What's in your jacket, brother?"

He had come this far, he thought, might as well go all the way. Opening his jacket, Loki set the sleepy puppy on the table, "He was turned into a dog."

It was silent for a while, everyone just staring at the two as they took in the words Loki had just said. It was hard to believe, and even still they may need convincing, but with a little effort they would see reason.

"This is no time for pranks, Loki!" Tony glared, "Peter is out there, probably hurt, and you're playing games like this?"

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood? Especially if it has to do with Peter missing? Look at his eyes, talk to him," Loki nudged the pup forward a bit, "this is Peter!"

"You're delusional," Tony said as he stepped closer, leaning down to look at the puppy. "There is no way that someone has a supper power to turn people into animals. That is... im...possible?" Tony squinted his eyes at the small dog, staring into those large brown eyes that he had seen many times from another body. He had seen them many times begging for missions and later curfews and suit adjustments and holy crap that was Peter...

There was definitely no mistaking those eyes once everyone had gotten a good look, there was no doubt left. This pup was Peter, and now they had to find a way to change him back. Or did they...? No, they had to, because May would probably kill them if they didn't.

However, it might take some time. No one had ever thought of finding a way to turn an animal into a human before, or vice versa. Tony and Bruce would really have to put their heads together for it while Cap and Thor went out to look for the enhanced. Nat and Clint decided that they would research old SHIELD files to find anything that would help, locking themselves in the briefing room with strict orders to not disturb them.

That left Loki to look after Peter.

It was strange at first, Loki was definitely not a dog type of person and looking after one was not really on the top of his to-do list. But after treating Peter's injured paw and bringing him into the family room, it was a bit funny.

Loki would toss a small plastic lid around and Peter would chase it and bring it back to him. Watching as Peter clumsily clomped around the room to chase the little thing was enough to bring a smile out of Loki, or when Peter would give a small bark or growl when the lid rolled under something and Loki would laugh as he retrieved it.

They played like that for a while, only stopping when the pup tired himself out and decided to curl up on Loki's lap for a nap. That was... different. When he was in human form, Peter had never cuddled into Loki; so the man had very little clue about what to do or how to react to such affection. Slowly and hesitantly, Loki lowered his hand onto Peter's head to gently pet it. He figured that it was the right thing to do when his fluffy golden tail started to lazily wag.

It was then that Loki understood what Peter meant the first time they met _. "On a scale of one to ten - ten being the worst evil imaginable, like... killing puppies..."_ If all puppies were like Peter, Loki could definitely grow to love them…

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but Loki was soon awoken by the sound of Peter's groans and bones snapping. His body jerked as his eyes snapped open, looking down at the suffering puppy in his lap.

"Peter?" Loki gently placed a hand on him, but removed it when Peter yelped. "Friday, call Stark and Banner in here now! Something's wrong with Peter."

"Right away, sir."

Loki's worry soon changed into confusion as Peter's body began to grow, his bones shifting into different positions until he was starting to take a human shape. Realizing what was happening, Loki shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it over him just as Peter's human voice started to come back.

It took only a few minutes for Peter to finish the change, but the boy looked absolutely exhausted afterwards that one could mistake it for hours of strenuous exercise.

Loki ran his hand through Peter's hair as the boy panted, tightly gripping the man's black pants. "It's alright," Loki muttered, "just breathe, it'll pass soon." He really hoped it passed soon...

Footsteps thundered down the hall as Tony and Bruce ran in, panic on their faces as they expected the worst. What they were not expecting was a mostly naked human Peter lying on the sofa.

The boy looked up with an embarrassed smile and small chuckle, "Um... I'm back...?"

 **A/N: so... I think I need to clarify something here... This story isn't Loki X Peter story, there will be no romance between these two AT ALL. Any requests asking for FrostSpider things will be deleted. Peter is a minor and Loki is a couple hundred years old, meaning that it would be pedophilia. This story focuses on Loki and Peter with a Mom and Son relationship, which makes it even more awkward for me. I have the same views for Starker and SpideyPool, change the ages of a ship to make it legal please.**

 **And on a similar note... THIS IS A RATED TEEN STORY, I WILL NOT WRITE A SMUT FIC THREESOME BETWEEN LOKI X PETER X TONY. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, PLEASE UNDERSTAND I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT AT ALL.**


	12. Penny Parker

**Request by Guest on FFN! This is an AU where Peter is actually a girl. It's a bit shorter than what I've been doing recently... I'm not really the best when it comes to writing this type of story. I've never actually been in a serious relationship so I don't know if a lot of what Loki said in this is accurate... But I still hope that you like it!**

A loud bumping sound followed by a small curse pulled Loki from his reading, his eyebrow raising as he looked at the clock that said it was far past midnight. Closing the book with a snap, Loki stood up and started his way to the upstairs bedrooms.

It was Monday night, meaning that there shouldn't be anyone in Loki's three-story home in upper Queens. He only had one visitor reserved for Wednesday and Thursday, which meant that something wasn't right...

He had only been living here a month or so, having to move out of the Compound because if one more person tried to tell him what to do he would have killed them... He was planning on moving to the Upper East Side - arguably where he belonged - before coming to the conclusion that he must find a place in Queens specifically for moments like this.

"Penny," Loki called as he knocked on the bedroom door, "I know you're in there. What were you doing out so late?"

There was shuffling on the other side of the door, but the child remained mostly silent for a good amount of time. Loki was about to open the door and see what was happening just before she finally answered.

"Can I stay here tonight? Please...? I'll be gone before morning..."

The man's eyes widened slightly at the sound of her voice, it was strained and wavering - like she was holding back emotions... and not the good kind.

"I'm coming in," He didn't hesitate as he opened the door, his eyes quickly scanning the room until he saw her curled up on her bed with her knees pressed against her chest and arms wrapped around them. He wasted no time in rushing to her side and taking a seat next to her.

"What happened, child? Were you injured on patrol? You know that Stark has better medical help for you than I do-"

"He broke up with me..." She quietly interrupted him, not meeting Loki's eyes. "He sent me a text before school started saying he didn't want to see me anymore and that I should avoid him in our classes together. I-I wanted to ask him about it, but he already had a new girl hanging out with him...!" Her voice cracked as she buried her face into her knees, a silent sob shaking her body.

Loki remembered the boy that she was talking about quite well. Penny didn't speak of him often, but she did tell stories about their dates now and again. He seemed like a nice guy, if not a little self-absorbed. Loki had no reason to be concerned about him before, as long as Penny was happy it was fine. However, Loki was severely doubting that judgment call now...

"I thought everything was going fine..." Penny continued, "He seemed really happy when we went out last time, we were laughing and having fun...! Maybe I did something he didn't like? Maybe if I wouldn't have talked so much, because everyone knows how much I talk... I can learn to talk less though, I can-"

"Stop." Loki instructed, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "Just... stop. Don't you dare think about changing yourself to make someone else happy." His eyes opened and Penny held back a gasp, the rage in Loki's eyes were nearly causing the green to glow. "Listen to me, Penny, and listen well: you are _not_ personally responsible for other people's happiness. All that matters is your happiness; because if you spend your whole life trying to make others happy, you will be miserable and they will keep asking for more. Your future lovers should not force you to be someone who you are not. Yes, you ramble and bring up the weirdest conversations at the most inappropriate times, but is what makes you _you_. If he cannot see how lucky he was to be by your side, he doesn't deserve to be there. And if he forces you to change, then he doesn't deserve to be on this planet."

They stared at each other for a long second, the silence only broken by Penny's occasional sniffle.

"But I love him..." She finally said, breaking eye contact and looking down.

Loki sighed again and hesitantly raised his arm to put around her shoulders. "I know... It will hurt for a while, and you will cry still. And that's okay, cry as much as you want to. But just make sure that when you're finished crying, you never cry over the same reason again. Don't let this boy control you like that, or anyone in the future. You are so much better than they or yourself realize."

The tears started building in Penny's eyes again, the fat drops rolling down her cheeks as she leaned into Loki's side and let out a sob. She let her pain out and Loki offered all the comfort and support that he could, sitting half turned on her bed and holding her close.

Normally he tried to avoid contact at all costs or suffering through a short awkward pat, but now was not the time for that. Penny needed him now and he would shove his comfortableness to the far heavens for her.

God, he was a hypocrite. Loki would definitely ignore his happiness for the rest of his life if it meant that Penny could smile... He would move heaven and earth just to keep her happy, not to mention what he would do to keep her safe.

After some time, Penny's sobs started to ease and she sat up just as her door opened again and another Loki walked in with two steaming mugs, the Loki on the bed disappearing.

"Hot chocolate?" Loki offered, handing the mug to Penny as she smiled a bit and took it.

"How did you know?"

"Call it intuition."

A mother's intuition, Penny thought with a chuckle as she sipped on her drink. "You are right though... I really shouldn't change myself for the benefit of others. I can't believe I thought about doing that..."

Loki shrugged a bit, "You're young, you do stupid things at times. It's like a requirement or something."

A giggle left her as she nodded in agreement, "Yeah! But Len was being extra stupid."

"Agreed," Loki smirked as the two of them clanked their mugs together. "If you want, I can go stab him for you?"

She giggled again before her eyes widened. "Oh, that reminds me," She set her cup down on the bedside table before slowly moving her knees away from her chest and looked down at herself, "I also got stabbed while on patrol tonight."

Loki's eyes widened as he looked down at the blood on her clothes; when he inhaled and started to open his mouth, Penny suddenly felt like she messed up...

 **A/N: I'm going to be closing requests for a short time. I have a couple other Marvel stories I want to work on, as well as some other chapter ideas for this story. If you're okay with waiting a while, you can still send requests in, but they will no longer be top priority... Sorry for any inconveniences.**


	13. Moving

Everything was happening so fast... Too fast. Peter's mind couldn't process everything that it was receiving. It wasn't sensory overload, that felt much different than the confusion and... panic that he was feeling now. Sensory overload had confusion and panic too, but it was still different and that was beside the point.

"What do you mean... We're moving? Where are we moving to? For how long?"

"Peter..." May reached her hand out and combed it through her nephew's hair. "I know this is hard... I hate it as much as you do... But we have to leave. We can't stay here anymore."

"B-But the city needs me! I just became an Avenger...! And all my friends are here! I can't just drop everything and leave all of this!""

"Peter-"

"MJ and I just started dating! And who's going to build Lego sets with Ned? Or keep Loki from stabbing everyone or Mr. Stark from staying up all night? I can't leave-"

"We don't have a choice!" May's voice cracked as she looked down, Peter noticing for the first time the tears that were in her eyes. "I have a life here too, Peter. I have people I love here that I will be saying goodbye to, just like you. But we can't stay, we have to leave. With the way things are now, I can't afford to get a new apartment now. We have no choice but to move in with my mother until we can get everything back to normal."

Peter's eyes closed tightly as he ran his hands through his hair and gripped it tightly, dropping down on the sofa as he sighed. "...Okay... But if we have the chance to come back, can we?"

May sat next to him and pulled him into a hug as she nodded. "Of course. First chance we get, we will definitely come back."

It took the two of them quite a few days to pack up their small apartment; in that time, Peter barely slept. He was dividing up his time to spend as much of it as possible with the Avengers as well as helping May and the city. Meaning most of his mornings were spent packing until May dismissed him, his afternoons and evenings were dedicated to hanging out at the Compound, and his nights were solely for crime fighting. He was pushing his limits further than he ever had before. He needed to clean up the streets though before he left, and made sure that the Avengers all had their own instructions left behind by him. He didn't want anything to happen to anyone while he was gone... an impossible task that he had set for himself.

"You can't keep doing this," A familiar voice called from behind him, footsteps walking to him.

Peter glanced back at the man, and even in the dark of night he could make out the smooth features of Loki in casual attire.

"I have to. I have to stop as many bad guys as possible before I leave. Who else will help them?" He looked over the edge of the building to the street below; cars rushing off to who knew where and people hurrying along the sidewalk. "The police are okay, but they never get there in time to stop a brutal mugging or help the kid who got his bike stolen. Without me... who's going to look out for the little guy?"

The sounds of the city were the only noise for a while, the two of them just staring off into the night. It wasn't until Loki heaved a deep breath a few minutes later that their silence was broken. "You're leaving behind a lot of responsibility, but I suppose I could help out with it."

Peter's eyebrows scrunched together behind his mask as he looked at the man. "You'll help out...?"

"Sure. I've gone crime fighting with you before, so what if I do it more often now? I'm sure Thor and a few others wouldn't be against it either if asked."

Thankful to still have his mask on, Peter blinked away the tears that had started to form. To think that Loki, a man that could barely stand being around humans at first, would now offer to help them without even being asked? Major character development.

"Thank you..." Peter sniffled, "That means a lot."

Loki patted his shoulder softly, offering silent support as the boy struggled to get his emotions under control. It reminded Loki of the beginning of their friendship on one of the rare accounts that Peter wouldn't have anything to say (and Loki wouldn't offer any words at the time) and they would just sit in silence on some roof in the city. It felt like an eternity ago...

An eternity since he had thought the boy's ramblings would make his ears bleed out of boredom; something in which now he took comfort -and even humor- in... Eternity since he snuck the boy with him and Thor to Russia and had to face the anger of Stark together afterwards. Eternity since Loki started considering Peter a good friend and person he wanted to protect.

There weren't many people Loki wished to protect, he could probably count the number on one hand. But now he was losing one of the most important people in his life and he could do nothing to stop it.

They sat on that roof together for a while longer, just silently reminiscing in each other's presence until the sky started to lighten. When Peter sighed and went to stand up, Loki finally asked the dreaded question.

"When are you leaving...?"

Peter paused slightly and glanced at Loki before standing up straight on the ledge. "May says everything should be good to go in two days."

"I see... That was fast."

"Too fast."

The man nodded in agreement as he too stood up, looking over Peter's sluggish form. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't dreading Peter's departure...

The boy had started to walk away, getting ready to swing off the roof and head home, but he stopped. Loki raised an eyebrow as Peter shook his head and pulled his mask off, running back to Loki and hugging him tightly.

"I don't wanna go... I want to stay here."

Hesitating only slightly, Loki's arms wound themselves around Peter and pressed him into his chest. "I know, child..."

"We'll see each other again, right? You'll visit me?"

Loki chuckled as he looked down at the boy, "Of course I'll visit you. Who else will keep me entertained and you out of trouble?"

"You can't forget about me." The sound of Peter's broken and scared voice was enough to make Loki feel like his heart was shattered. The boy actually thought it was possible for him to be forgotten?

"I could never forget you, child. Not even if I wanted to. And the same for everyone else; you will never be forgotten. Never. I simply won't allow for it."

Peter's head was buried deep into Loki's chest as his hands gripped the back of his jacket. Loki wasn't normally a touchy kind of person and Peter tried to respect that as much as possible, but right now he really needed the comfort... And from the tightness of Loki's hug, so did he.

"This isn't the end, Peter, far from it. You'll be back one day, I know it. You just need to take care of yourself while you're out there. I want you back here in one piece, understand?"

Peter nodded slightly, a small smile making its way onto his face. "Yeah... Yeah, I understand. I'll be extra careful so I won't worry you too much."

"Good." They separated a little so that Loki could ruffle the boy's hair with a fond smile. "Now let's bring you home, child. I'm sure your aunt will be worried if you aren't back when she wakes up."

 **A/N: Question: how do you write a story about Spider-Man leaving the MCU in an MCU story without Loki threatening to kidnap Peter or Peter just moving in with the Avengers?**

 **Answer: you can't. It's impossible. So this story is very choppy and doesn't make a lot of sense... I'm so sorry. I just wanted to get this idea out of my head after it hit me at 4am this morning.**

 **I will be writing and posting a Tony version of this story hopefully soon, to those who like an IronDad and SpiderSon.**


	14. Damaged but Alive

Peter was absolutely exhausted; even he couldn't deny it at this point. School and crime-fighting took way too much out of him today and he was ready to call it a night, swinging through the city and hopefully making it to the Compound with little to no more excitement for the night.

Who could blame him though? With three pop quizzes, a fitness test, and a decathlon meet, he barely had enough energy to deal with the bank robbery, car heist, two cats and a dog in trees, four stolen bikes, eight lost tourists, three lost kids, some dude with a gun, and two dudes with knives... He was surprised that he wasn't mortally wounded from all of that...

Of course though, he couldn't catch a break when he wanted to. Along his way, he found a cab driver about to be killed by his passenger. So Spider-Man swooped in and saved the day once again. But it wasn't so bad, because the cabbie offered to drive him anywhere. And Peter was really tired...

With a shrug, he hopped in the backseat and let the yellow car drive him a little over half way to the Compound. It would have been great if they could go all the way, but Captain America had a rule about no outsiders knowing the location of the Avenger base and Peter was forced to walk the rest of the way there. Which only made his exhaustion worse... Things were starting to get kinda blurry, and his body was starting to get cold... That really couldn't be good.

But he made it to the Compound nonetheless, climbing up the side tapping a certain patter onto the window before it opened, climbing in and landing in the kitchen. He was inside at least, that meant he was safe now... He was safe.

He laid down on the floor, exhaustion taking over him as he stared up at the ceiling. He just rested there for a while, not paying attention to the time or how long he stayed. He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the sound of footsteps coming down the hall caused his eyes to fly open. His head turned to see who it was he would be talking with soon, the figure of Loki with an eyebrow raised meeting his vision.

"You're up early, child." Loki commented as he walked into the kitchen more, headed for the pantry. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah..." Peter nodded slowly, not moving anymore than he had to. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Silence fell over the two as Loki pulled out tea and hot chocolate packets for Peter and himself, boiling the water and waiting for the two drinks to brew. Peter stayed in that same position the whole time, which left a bad feeling in Loki's gut - but he pushed it away. If it was truly bad, the AI of this building would have alerted everyone about it.

Still though... even in the dim lighting of the kitchen, Peter did look pale. Could he be sick again? That would explain a quite a bit.

When both the drinks were finished and ready to be drunk, Loki went over to Peter and set the boy's mug on the floor next to him. Loki leaned against the island nearby as he took a sip of his tea, staring down at Peter.

"So... What's wrong?"

Peter's eyes shifted to him before looking back up at the ceiling, licking his lips as he opened his mouth, "I think... I think I got stabbed. Or shot. Maybe both. No, definitely both."

The once tired expression on Loki's face washed away, leaving a blank slate behind as he blinked down at the boy. The silence was back again as Peter didn't even dare to look at Loki, knowing what would soon happen after...

"You...? You're stabbed and shot and you are simply laying on the kitchen floor? Are you trying to die?"

"Well, I mean-"

"Don't answer that." Loki held up his hand as he took a deep breath, setting his tea down to pinch the bridge of his nose with his now free hand. "FRIDAY, please alert the others to the situation and have the med-bay prepared for Peter immediately."

"Right away," Came the automated voice in reply, causing Peter to cringe slightly. If the others all knew about this, he would definitely be getting an earful as soon as he was healed - maybe even before depending on his wounds...

"Can you stand up?" Loki asked, kneeling next to Peter and inspecting what he could see of Peter's body.

"Uh, well... I don't think so. I used up all my energy getting over here..." Peter gulped slightly as his eyes shifted downward, as if trying to look at himself. "I can't really feel my body anymore, Loki..."

Loki's heart sped up as he took in those words. Was Peter paralyzed? Had his spine been hit? In that case it would be too dangerous to lift him... But he couldn't just leave Peter on the floor when there was a possibility that he would bleed out. And would his enhanced healing even cover something like palatalization?

Before Loki's heart could race right out of his chest, footsteps were heard rushing down the hall to them. It wasn't long before Stark, Banner, and two med-bay workers came in with a stretcher.

"What happened?" Tony demanded as he quickly went to kneel next to Loki, glancing down at Peter. "FRIDAY, turn on the lights!"

"He's been shot and stabbed, according to him. He... he also cannot feel his body at the moment. He was already laying on the floor when I came in a short while ago, so I do not know the exact time that all of this happened."

The two men were pushed aside by Bruce as he and the paramedics began to work on Peter, cutting away his suit to get a better look at the wounds. Once the fabric was away, however, the amount of blood that had collected in the suit was revealed and worried even the medics.

"We need to get him to the med-bay now, bring that stretcher closer!"

"Med-bay is prepped and waiting, doctor," The first medic announced as he brought the stretcher over, though pausing for a moment as his colleague called out to them.

"Patient is no longer responsive!"

Faintly, some part of Loki's mind remembered there was a mug of hot chocolate on the floor that was knocked over by one of the medic's feet as they lifted Peter onto the stiff board while simultaneously trying to get Peter's eyes to focus on them. Loki couldn't be bothered with that drink now, however; not when Peter was slipping into the realm of unconsciousness.

Loki and Tony stood there for a short time after Peter was carried out, both of them looking to the ground where a puddle of Peter's blood was staining the floor. Such a reckless and foolhearted child... Why wouldn't he ask FRIDAY to alert anyone of his pain? Why hadn't FRIDAY automatically alerted them to Peter? How long had Peter even been here before Loki had come into the kitchen? There would be quite a few lectures going around once everything had settled down...

"Brother, Stark?" A deep voice called as a large figure entered the kitchen with them. "I thought you two would have followed the healers with young Peter?"

The two seemed to snap out of whatever thought track they were spiraling down as Thor stopped just in the doorway. Tony cleared his throat as Loki straightened his suit, both of them attempting to hide how much that splotch of red on the floor disturbed them to their core.

"What is it, Point break?"

"When I did not see you in the med-bay, I thought I would come see if there was anything I could do." Thor's eyes drifted to the blood on the floor, he too lingered on it for longer than normal. "Banner would not allow me to help them..."

Loki chuckled slightly, barely audible, as he began to move to the exit with Tony not far behind, "No, I would imagine not."

The three of them went to the waiting area near the med-bay, the rest of the Avengers already there with solemn faces.

"Tony," Steve looked up as they entered, "Why didn't FRIDAY say anything about Peter? How long has he even been here?"

Tony shot a glare at the ceiling and sighed, "I don't know. I'll figure it out; there might be a glitch, even though that's highly impossible."

As they all made short conversation, Loki went off to stand near the window - his waiting spot during situations that involved Peter needing medical treatment. Looking outside into the darkness that accompanied this unholy hour of the morning was somewhat able to calm him, coupled with the soft pattering of rain hitting the glass.

He would be lying if he said that a part of him didn't feel at fault for all of this. He had a bad feeling about Peter's unmoving form in the beginning. If he had not wasted ten minutes with making drinks and had properly checked on the boy, then they could have possibly avoided all of this 'on the brink' mess...

A bitter chuckle crossed his mind then. Loki was blaming himself for this situation, something that he never would have done in the past. Loki had never been this weak, not since he was a child. He was actually worried and riddled with this unfathomable guilt that surely didn't belong... But no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't shove his feelings away. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to get rid of this feeling? It was absolutely horrible - dreadful.

The door to the surgery room opened, snapping Loki from his thoughts and feelings as Bruce Banner stepped out, wiping his hands off with a towel.

Many forms of the question "How is he?" came from the others, Bruce smiling a bit as he held a hand up.

"Peter will be fine now. He had a bullet lodged in his back, near the spine. That's why he was having difficulties feeling earlier. He also had quite a few slashes and stab wounds in his stomach and chest, but that wasn't too serious and he's already started healing. I would say, with lots of rest and proper care, he should be back to normal in about a week or so."

A collective sigh passed around the group, most of them leaving after being informed of Peter's current sleeping state. Tony hung back to glance in the darkened room, his tired eyes searching Peter's form on the bed and the soft beeping of the heart monitor. He let out a long sigh before running his hand down his face.

"I'm going to go check FRIDAY's network to see why no one was informed of Peter, it's time for an update to her systems anyway." He said as he made his way out of the waiting area, leaving just Bruce and Loki there.

Bruce glanced at the other man for a second, Loki's eyes also trained on Peter's room in a near deadly stare.

"You can go in if you want," Bruce said quietly, nodding towards the room. "Just don't wake him up."

Loki opened his mouth to discredit Bruce's knowingly soft smile, but closed it soon after because there was really no point. He was much too concerned with Peter's welfare than to deny it.

Taking residence in the soft chair near the bed, Loki scanned Peter. His skin was pale even in the darkness of the room, his heart rate steady and breathing even, his hair tousled -though that really wasn't anything new. Peter looked like Peter, damaged but alive.

A small smile made its way onto Loki's face as he shook his head. Damaged but alive would always explain Peter to a fault...

"You and I, child," Loki whispered as he leaned in slightly, "are going to have a very long and serious talk when you are feeling better."

Unbeknownst to him, Peter's sleeping form shuddered in dread for the morning.

 **A/N: Do you realize how difficult it is to write while on vacation? First party of my vacation season is over and I'm back home now, but I've been slowly working on this chapter for so long... I should be leaving again by the end of the month to travel across the country, where it will be even more difficult to write... But I plan to get as much writing in before I leave, so wish me luck! Hopefully I still keep all of you lovely readers while I'm away though!**

 **Also, I wanted to get this chapter out pretty quickly because a few people thought that this story is finished now because of the last chapter... Well, there's no need to fear, because I really don't think this story will ever finish. Not for a few years at least anyway. The story is marked as complete since this is a oneshot book and technically always complete. But unless I say otherwise, I will always be working on new chapters XD**

 **Please leave a comment and vote if you enjoyed the chapter! The more there are, the more motivated I am to write!**


	15. Don't Mess With Him

**A/N: This makes references to my other story "Peter Parker vs. Spider-Man". It can be read with or without it though.**

With Peter Parker and Spider-Man becoming more and more popular in the media (their feud still going strong and the fans even started forming teams), the Avengers thought it would be a good idea to start trying to detour criminals from trying to kidnap either of them to get at the team. As proven over and over again, it wasn't a good idea to mess with the 'boys'... It would end badly for anyone who even thought about it.

Since Loki and Peter spent the most time together outside of the compound, it was Loki that most criminals aimed to hurt when taking Peter (though there were many times Peter was also used to lure out Stark. It really depended on which news media the criminals watched). Unfortunately for them, Loki and the others would stop them before Peter was even taken.

"Don't mess with him," Loki would always say as they loaded the criminals into the police vans. Everyone assumed that he meant he would hurt anyone that hurt Peter, which caused a lot of teasing aimed at the two.

But Loki had another meaning to his words...

"That was hilarious!" Peter laughed as the two walked out of the theater, tossing his empty popcorn bowl in the trash.

"It had its moments..." Loki smirked as he tossed his empty Starbucks cup as well, chuckling as an awaiting staff member raised an eyebrow at the large cup and wondering how Loki had been able to smuggle it in.

Peter found amusement in the employee's bewilderment as well. These people should know by now that it was useless to question Loki, especially when it came to smuggling food in theaters. Never again would Peter have to pay for overpriced drinks or candies... though he would definitely buy the popcorn every time.

"I loved how all his classmates showed up at the expo one by one and thought he was slacking off with the cute girl."

"But the villain was a bit strange," Loki hummed. "Who ever thought of an enhanced controlling metal?"

"I'm an enhanced that can stick to anything while also having super strength and heightened senses, nothing surprises me anymore."

"I agree, you are far stranger than the villain of the movie." Loki chuckled as he sent Peter a teasing smirk, the boy returning a playful glare back.

Peter rolled his eyes as he looked up and down the street, stretching slightly. He didn't know why, but he was getting the feeling of being watched. The back of his neck had a prickly feeling that -try as he might- he couldn't ignore. But he didn't see anyone staring at him... Of course, it could always be one of his fans. After starting a feud with himself in the press, Peter had become very noticeable as a source for entertainment.

But this didn't feel like the happy gaze from a fan...

"Is something wrong?" Loki asked, raising a brow at the suspicious way Peter was acting. He knew the signs of when Peter felt something - after all they had been through now, of course he did. But he also knew the signs of Peter ignoring that strange sixth sense of his and most likely getting himself into more trouble.

"It's probably nothing, let's just keep going."

Loki hated always being right at times. He didn't push the issue, but kept his guard up in case there was a sudden need to move. With all the enhanced criminals that they were facing, Loki knew better than to relax when Peter got one of those feelings.

The day progress as normal though and Peter soon forgot about whatever feeling he had before. Such a careless boy... No matter how many times Loki warned him to never ignore his spidey sense, Peter never learned.

When Loki was called back to the compound with strict instructions to not bring Peter, the man felt like refusing. He would have too, if Peter's aunt hadn't called and requested his help with dinner. So Loki had no choice but to wave goodbye to Peter at a crosswalk as the boy left.

Loki was starting to turn away when a particularly large man caught his eye. He was dressed normally enough, the tattoos on his bald head almost clashing with the nice clothes he was wearing. The man could have easily been one of those professional wrestlers that Thor was becoming so fond of.

But Loki had seen this man before... Not on television with Thor, but in the movie theater a few rows behind Peter and him. He was also at the diner that they ate lunch at. And now the man was on the opposite side of the street, his bright eyes locked on a person across the street. Loki followed his gaze and saw Peter's form dodging people in the crowd.

"Damn..." Loki muttered under his breath as he turned and started to cross the street when he suddenly realized that the man was gone. His eyes quickly moved to where he last saw Peter, rushing to follow the boy, but he could no longer see him either.

Standing in the last place that Peter was, Loki felt the surge of magic that was there. Peter was - once again - kidnapped. Lovely.

Though Loki wasn't too concerned because whoever took him was very sloppy with their magic and made it all too easy to follow the trail they left, leading right to an abandoned apartment building. It was almost embarrassing that Peter had been captured by them; such a weak and inexperienced magic wielder would be nothing to beat.

Though... That man who had been following them did seem to be slightly larger than... most men. But Loki had seen Peter take down other large enhanced before so there was really no excuse.

As Loki slowly made his way inside, a loud scream from one of the upper floors caused him to jump slightly before running to it. That was a scream of pure terror, sending a chill even down Loki's back. Whatever had just happened couldn't be good...

Footsteps thundered as he neared the room they were in, causing just the slightest moment of hesitation. Why were they running? And the number of people screaming had multiplied into three... With less urgency than before, Loki opened the door and peered inside.

Immediately after assessing the situation, Loki was struggling to hold back a laugh.

There were three enhanced that had captured Peter; the large man from earlier being one, an adult female, and another -much smaller- male. All of them were screaming and running around the empty room in horror as Peter chased them.

On the ceiling.

In all honestly, it was terrifying watching Peter running along the ceiling with his head pulled all the way back and yelling about fresh children for his feast in Spanish with a deeper voice. But when he dropped from the ceiling and landed in the same position, it was just plain creepy. Peter's body stretched so his hands and feet were flat on the floor with his chest to the sky and back facing down, and somehow still managing to run...

It wasn't until one of the poor enhanced started to break down in tears as Peter growled that Loki finally stepped into the room properly.

"Peter, as interesting as it is to see you act possessed, I do believe that this poor fool is about to have a heart attack. I don't think you would want that on your conscience."

Almost immediately Peter stopped, pulling himself up into a standing position using just the muscles in his legs and smiling brightly at Loki. "I was wondering how long it would take you to find us!" He glanced back at the three 'villains' and chuckled, "I don't think they'll be that much of a problem now, so we can call the cops!"

"Is it wrong that I actually feel sorry for them?" Loki raised an eyebrow as he scanned the three, shaking his head slightly.

"I think you've been spending too much time with me, Mr. Loki. I'm rubbing off on you!"

A smirk crossed the cold man's face as he looked back to Peter, pulling out his phone to call the proper authorities, "And you with I, you've gotten more evil with your criminals."

"They'll live; I think that counts for something."

The two chatted for a while as they waited for the police, about whether or not they were rubbing off on each other, how far back Peter could actually bend, what gave him the unholy idea in the first place, and other topics much the same. Once the police had arrived to take the bad trio away, Loki and Peter followed them out to the large armor-enforced prison bus.

"Demon child..." The woman muttered as she climbed in, nearly tripping over herself when she caught sight of the glare Loki sent her.

"I have left you criminals plenty of warnings not to mess with him. It's not his fault that you didn't listen to reason and went on with your plan anyway."

None of them said a thing in reply as the doors were closed and the police left, leaving the two friends standing in a sparely populated part of the city. They should probably leave themselves unless they wanted to attract more trouble.

"Hey," Peter finally broke the silence as they walked, "You said just now that you warned everyone not to mess with me... Did you know that I would pull that possessed trick?"

Loki chuckled and shook his head as he glanced at Peter from the corner of his eye, tugging on the edge of his suit jacket. "No, actually. I always thought that you would break character and just 'web them up'. Now that I think about it though, I'm really not surprised..."

A large grin threatened to split the boy's face as he walked, that sentence giving him a sense of pride for some reason.

Such a strange boy, Loki thought. But it was definitely nice to have his form of entertainment around.

 **A/N: has anyone ever tried writing while listening to The Phantom of the Opera? I tell you what... The Phantom screaming at you to sing is honestly really motivating - even if you aren't singing.**

 **And if you can name the movie that Loki and Peter went to see, I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter! It's a super hero movie based on a series with three seasons (the fourth is coming out soon). Good luck!**

 **Remember to leave a review! Please! It helps to keep me motivated!**


	16. Penny Parker and the People of NYC

**Penny Parker is back via request by Guest on FFN! I had lot of fun researching for this chapter, and it's even given me some ideas for future chapters as well. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!**

Loki had to admit there was a certain charm to the nasty people of New York. They weren't all so mean and degrading, but Loki found much interest in the devils of the city. It was a comfort of sorts for him, now that he was trying to turn over a 'new leaf' with the whole good guy routine. When someone was rude or mean, it gave him free run of his verbal arsenal with none of the Avengers able to disagree. Even the sharp-tongued Stark would sit back and watch as Loki would destroy a rude pedestrian.

It was surprisingly rare that one of the civilians would get Loki worked up enough that he had to be restrained from pulling out a few knives. Everyone was greatly impressed with Loki and his adjustment to life on Earth.

Today, however, Loki was not in a pleasant mood. He had seen a news article from the Daily Bugle that criticized Spider-Woman's work in the city, calling her a menace and a lot of other things Loki didn't like. The true menace of the city was J. Jonah Jameson and his crazy fictional ideas of Penny's alter-ego.

Loki had (un)fortunately read the article on one of the days he was to meet with Penny, so she would be able to calm him from his inner rage somewhat.

They were supposed to meet at a restaurant where they would get lunch then head to... somewhere Penny planned. It was supposed to be a surprise for Loki, so he was completely in the dark for their adventures of the day.

Upon arrival to the restaurant though, Loki raised an eyebrow as he saw a familiar head of hair down the sidewalk a ways. What she could possibly be doing over there, Loki had no idea. But he ventured over to see what was happening, because the loud and obnoxious voice of a male was coming from that direction as well.

"Admit it! You were trying to pickpocket me! Confess now before the cops get here and maybe I won't press charges!"

"No, sir, it was just an accident!"

Loki's eyes widened as he saw the man grab Penny's sweater sleeve and started tugging it off of her, quickly picking up his pace to them. "I bet you're hiding it in your clothes!"

"Stop!" Penny's voice cracked as she tried pulling her arm back as humanly as possible, tears starting to fill the corners of her eyes. Was this man planning to undress her in the middle of the sidewalk? She could easily fight back, but she might end up hurting him...

"I think it would be wise of you to take your hands off of her," A deadly calm voice called out from behind her. Penny's eyes filled with hope as she looked back to see Loki glaring at the man.

"This brat was stealing from me; it has nothing to do with you. So just mind your own damn business!"

Loki placed one hand on Penny's shoulder and the other on the man's arm, gripping it tightly. "She is under my protection, so therefore she is my business. So kindly take your hand off of her now before I remove it for you." The temperature dropped around them as ice started to form on the man's arm, his eyes widening as he yelled out in pain.

"What are you? Unhand me! Monster! Do you know who I am?"

A devilish smirk made its way onto Loki's face as he released the man and pulled Penny back slightly before stepping in front of her. "Do you know who I am? Never mind, obviously your simpleton mind doesn't have a clue. I am prince Loki of Asgard, rightful ruler of Jotunheim, and one of the newer members of the Avengers. You on the other hand, are nothing more than a pigheaded miklimunnr that simply harasses those you believe are lower than yourself. But I have news for you, alicarl, the only thing lower than you is the scum on the bottom of your shoes."

"What did you call me?"

"Hon varr draconian, gamla vis Hruga uskit'r!"

Penny placed a hand over her mouth, trying to hold back a laugh. She had no idea what Loki was saying, and he would probably never tell her, but it was always fun to see him revert to his Norse language. It meant that he was extremely agitated and knives would be involved soon, but Penny still found it amazing.

"I will sue you for every miserable penny you own!" The man's eyes wandered past them as he pushed them to the side, "Police! Arrest these two!"

"Mikill Wotan! Doni langaspjot viti!" Loki smirked as he watched the man march up to a police car.

The commotion certainly caught the officers' attention as they parked and came to see what all the yelling was about.

"Arrest these two now! He assaulted me and she tried to steal from me!" Loki almost laughed himself, this man was squealing like a pig...

"Actually," Loki held up a hand, "I believe these officers would be more interested in hearing about how you nearly stripped this minor girl in the middle of the street simply because she bumped into you in passing down these narrow walkways. I was just protecting her from you, baulufotr."

The police officers' eyes turned toward the man with a questioning and slightly disgusted gaze, though all three of them ended up being brought to the police precinct for their statements. Which surprisingly didn't take long and Loki and Penny were out soon after the police discovered the outstanding arrest warrants for the rude man.

As the two stepped out onto the street, Penny looked over at her friend. "Thanks for the save back there, I really didn't know how to handle that without hurting him..."

"Simple. Just hurt him." Loki looked her directly in the eyes, "If any man -or woman- puts his hands on you in a way that you do not like, take them out. That is inappropriate behavior and you are completely in the right if that happens. I may not be there next time, so you have to do whatever it takes to protect yourself, civilian be damned. Understood?"

"Y-Yeah, but-"

"No buts, child; if they try that with you and get away with it, they will most likely do it to someone else as well. You have the power to fight back, so use it."

Penny nodded as she looked down at her feet. She hated the idea of hurting someone, but Loki did have a point...

"Now, let us go and get something to eat," Loki continued as he began walking. "I haven't eaten yet and am this close to dying of hunger." He shot a grin at her, which in turn caused Penny to grin as well and walk next to him.

"Yeah! Food sounds great! Getting yelled at by perverts really worked up my appetite!"

 **Translations:**

 **miklimunnr**

 **Big mouth**

 **alicarl**

 **fat churl**

 **"Hon varr draconian, gamla vis Hruga uskit'r."**

 **I am a draconian and thou art less than a heap of s_t.**

 **"Mikill Wotan! Doni langaspjot viti!"**

 **Praise Odin! They're downwind of us!**

 **baulufotr**

 **cow foot**

 **A/N: I just thought of this idea that Loki speaks norse when he gets really worked up... And I love this so much now because it kinda lets him get really creative with insults while still staying somewhat in character. (It could also be the fact that I love looking at insults in different languages.)**

 **Shout out to the guest WeebMaster on FFN for guessing the movie in the last chapter: Boku no Hero Academia - Two Heroes! I realized after I posted the chapter that it was pretty vague... Sorry! I maybe should have mention it was foreign/anime... Oops? I was watching the movie myself while writing it and decided to let my inner weeb show a bit.**


	17. Weakness and Strength

If Peter had learned anything from his time hanging out with the Avengers, it was that they weren't indestructible gods - even Loki and Thor. They all had their weaknesses. They were just a remarkable group of people, nothing more and nothing less. It gave Peter hope for himself; that with all of his flaws and fears, he could still turn out as great as them.

However, it was when he saw his role models in their weakness that disturbed Peter. He hated to see the fear or pain on their faces as they went against something they were forced to overcome... It hurt him nearly as much as it did his teammates.

"Loki!" Peter called as he swung through a nearly collapsing building, searching desperately for his friend. "Mr. Loki, please answer me!"

It was supposed to have been just a normal day... Peter was Spider-Manning around the city when Loki decided to join him, they were doing things that they normally did together while looking for trouble. It was all so perfectly normal that neither one of them was prepared for the sudden attack.

A large portal of fire opened up behind them, Peter's senses barely going off in time for him to turn around when a blast of fire came out at them. Both of them had moved just in time to avoid turning into a blackened crisp, but Peter knew that this wasn't going to be a good fight... He knew what fire and too much heat could do to Loki, and he didn't want to see that again. So he tried taking on the enhanced fire bender as soon as he stepped onto the roof with them.

That was a mistake.

And Loki paid the price.

When Loki cursed and pushed him out of the way of a particularly deadly explosion, fear like never before coursed through Peter's veins. Loki's body was hurtled off the roof and into a building on the other side of the street, the sounds of glass and walls breaking nearly sending Peter's heart into overdrive.

"Loki!" Peter didn't think twice about shooting a web over and going into the building in search for the man. He just barely remembered to look behind him to locate the enhanced, but didn't see him anymore. That couldn't be good... But Peter couldn't care now, he had to find Loki.

It didn't take him long; all he had to do was follow the crash path. And Loki laid against the wall at the end, his side burnt and clothes damaged as he struggled to breathe through the pain.

"Mr. Loki, are you okay? Of course you're not okay, that's a stupid question...! What can I do to help? I can carry you out, do you think that'll be okay on your injuries? I'll be very careful!"

Loki grunted as he held up a hand to silence the boy, shaking his head stiffly. "It's fine, child. Calm down. You need to alert Stark and my brother of this, they are better suited to handle fires than we are."

"I can't though," Peter's voice shook as he tapped a hand to his mask, "I think Karen was damaged in the first blast, everything is offline right now."

Loki took in a deep breath as he glanced over to where the sound of heavy footfalls were coming closer. "Peter, you have to leave. No- listen to me," He held up his hand again when he saw the boy about to argue. "Neither of us are prepared to fight a fire controlling enhanced, especially you. I can cast illusions around myself, and you if need be, but it is more important that you go to fetch the others."

"I can't just leave you here though...!"

"You have to, child. Now go, I'd rather face this man than an angry Stark if you get hurt." Loki chuckled a bit, reaching over to pat Peter's shoulder and giving it a small push.

"But-"

"Go or I will send you out myself," All traces of humor were gone as Loki's gaze turned serious, his eyes glancing back to the sound of the enhanced getting closer. "Now Peter, I won't tell you again."

Peter took a deep breath, holding Loki's stare for a few seconds before standing up and rushing to one of the broken windows and jumping out. He knew what he had to do, even if it might cost him... He wouldn't make the mistake as last time though and let Loki take a hit that was meant for him though...

Quickly going around the building, Peter snuck back inside and slowly crept back to the room Loki was in. He could hear the footsteps of the enhanced man ahead of him, every sense in his body screaming 'DANGER' at him. It was strange... Peter had fought enhanced before without this much warning from his senses, what was so different about this man?

"Loki of Asgard..." A deep voice called, a chill going down Peter's spine at the malice in it. "I will take this as an honor, it's not often one gets to see the Earth's conqueror in such a weakened state."

"As well you should, because it will be one of the last things you are privileged to see." Loki responded, his voice cold but sarcastic - the two mixing together and creating the signature tone Loki was infamous for.

"Big words for a man that can barely move," The man's hands lit on fire as he took a threatening step forward. "Where is Spider-Man? Tell me now and your death will be swift."

"Mmm..." Loki's head tilted side-to-side in thought as he smirked, "No. How about you surrender now before I destroy you?"

The tingling feeling at the back of Peter's neck went off again as a blast of heat caused him to instructively shrink back, but Loki's yell of pain caused him to move out from his hiding spot. The front of Loki's shirt was burnt, showing red-raw skin. He groaned as he held the front of his chest gently, his fingers barely brushing the outer edges of the wound.

"Where is he? Tell me!"

" _Bacraut_..." Loki groaned as he shifted uncomfortably. Peter couldn't understand why Loki was just sitting there and taking all of this though... Why didn't Loki fight back? Or at least cast an illusion? Why did he just let this man attack him?

"Very well then," The heat rose in the building again as the man rolled his shoulders back, "I'll just kill you and find him myself."

It all happened in a flash, Peter himself wasn't quite aware when his body moved... But as the enhanced pulled his arm back to fire at Loki's head, Peter lunged forward. He first shot a web at the man's fist, yanking it back and pulling the man off his feet. He trapped the man's hands against the concrete ground before running to Loki.

"Child, what- I told you-!" A pained grunt cut him off as Peter lifted Loki and jumped out of the widow from earlier.

"Just hold on, I'll get you somewhere safe."

In any other situation, Peter would have laughed at the shocked look that took over Loki's expression. It was certainly a funny expression that Peter had never seen before. But now was definitely not the time for that...

Landing on the street below, Peter raised a foot up just as a cab came screeching to a halt against it. He quickly went to the door and gently tossed Loki inside as he looked at the cabby, "This is an Avenger emergency! Take Interstate 87 towards Albany, once you get closer he'll tell you where to go."

"Peter-"

"You have to go, Mr. Loki," Peter smirked behind his mask a bit, his lenses narrowing ever so slightly, "I would rather face this man than an angry Thor if you get hurt."

Without even waiting for a response, Peter shut the door and slapped the hood of the car twice before it took off. Peter didn't wait long before he turned around and went back into the building.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped onto the ceiling and started crawling through the building silently. He paid close attention to his spidey-sense now; knowing that there was no way his webs could keep that enhanced down for long. Every small tingle or chill, Peter would stop and scan his surroundings before continuing his hunt.

Peter was hunting... This man just appeared out of nowhere and started attacking them, hurting Loki pretty badly in the process. What's more, he hurt Loki with fire! Fire was one of the few things that Loki had a weakness to! So it was safe to say that Peter was mad... And a mad Peter wasn't a very good thing for bad guys.

A short while later and Peter had found his prey. He was right, those webs hadn't lasted long on the man that was now wandering the seemingly empty halls of the building as Peter silently trailed after him.

"I know you're here, Spider-Man!" The enhanced suddenly called out, "Stop hiding and face me already!"

A small thud behind him was all the man had as a warning before Peter punched him. His head snapped to the side as his body spun around, almost like something out of a comedy if it hadn't of hurt so much. Peter shot a web at his feet which then caused the enhanced to fall over and smack his head against the ground; the teen did cringe a bit at the sound, but he couldn't afford to hold back at the moment... This man was keeping him from checking on Loki. He needed to be dealt with quickly.

Thirty minutes later had a Quin jet and Iron Man landing on the roof of the abandoned building, Loki going down the ramp as soon as it started lowering.

"FRIDAY, scan the building for all heat signatures," Tony commanded as he marched through the roof entry, Loki and Thor close after him.

" _Two enhanced human signatures on the next floor below, boss. One of them seems to be in distress_."

The three raced down the stairs to the place that FRIDAY's scanners indicated, though they nearly crashed into each other at the dead stop Tony came to when he saw what was before him.

Connected to the ceiling was a large, human-shaped... cocoon? It lightly swung back and forth as muffled screams were heard from inside, smoke seeping out from the seams.

"You guys got here faster than I thought," A voice called out from a shadowed corner of the ceiling, causing all three heroes to jump slightly.

"Peter!" Tony frowned, his face plate lifting up to get a clear view of the boy. "What the hell is this? And why are you up there?"

Peter dropped to the ground and tugged off his mask, shaking his head a bit. "This is the enhanced that attacked Mr. Loki and me. And Karen went offline when this guy attacked, so I didn't know if you were enemies or not; I thought it would be good to hide and get the element of surprise."

"This... is the enhanced?" Tony poked at the webbed ball, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Don't you normally leave the head out? Can he even breathe in there?"

"Well I started to leave his head uncovered, but then I found out he can breathe fire. He brought it upon himself honestly."

"More importantly," Loki pushed his way to Peter and looked him up and down, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Peter shifted his body slightly, hardly noticeable to the others as he shook his head. "Nah, he didn't even land a single hit on me." Peter's eyes trailed over Loki's body as well, taking in Loki's normal green and black leather outfit that replaced his burnt suit from earlier. "Why aren't you in the med-bay?"

All eyes went to Loki in question as Peter frowned, "You didn't tell them that you were hit by this guy's fire a lot, did you?"

"Because I wasn't hit." Loki crossed his arms and scowled. "That was all an illusion; as if I would let myself be taken down and injured by such a weak enhanced."

Peter blinked once, twice, three times before throwing his hands in the air. "Seriously? I missed out on so many jokes with this fight because I thought you were actually hurt! There were so many times I could have made a pun! I could have even gone a lot easier on the poor guy, I think I broke his leg! I broke a man's leg for you, Mr. Loki!"

As Peter continued to rant and rave about his complaints, Thor went to cut the poorly unlucky enhanced down and carried him onto the jet, the others following behind. Peter yelled the whole way and tried to explain a few of the jokes he would have made during the fight, but it all came out pretty unintelligible.

"I think that's enough now, child," Loki chuckled the second Peter paused to take a breath, the boy still pouting. "I do apologize for worrying you, but if you would have done what I said in the beginning and left, then it wouldn't have happened."

"If you would have told me it was an illusion, then I wouldn't have panicked."

Loki couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as his eyes glanced over to Thor and Stark piloting them back home. While Loki's expression looked light on the outside, his voice suddenly turned stern, "I expect you to go straight to the med-bay once we return to the Compound to have that injury looked at."

Peter's hand went to his side as he quickly shifted to hide it from the man, "It's not that bad..."

"Peter..."

The two of them stared into each other's eyes for a short period before Peter smirked a bit, "Alright, I'll go. But only if you do too, Mr. Loki."

The scowl on Loki's face returned as Peter swiped his hand through Loki's figure, his body disappearing in a flash of green just as a new body appeared on the other side of the isle. The real Loki sat hunched over in a seat, arm wrapped around his side with a weak but wicked smirk on his face.

"You've gotten smarter, child. I'm impressed."

Peter chuckled a bit, though it didn't have much humor to it. Because Loki really had been hurt, and he had hurt the enhanced in return... It somewhat scared Peter, he never thought he would have been capable of hurting another person like he had... But it was in the best interest for his friend. He did it for his friend.

And that made the guilt lessen just a bit.

 **A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I suffered through a migraine to finish and post it for you... I'm sorry if the ending seemed a bit choppy, I can hardly see straight anymore but needed to get this out tonight.**

 **Remember to leave a review please! Reviews keep me motivated for posting new chapters faster!**


	18. Family Day

**Requested by Guest on FFN! This was a small challenge for me as I've never done this with my parents before, but I hope I wrote it the right way!**

Peter did everything in his power to hold in the laugh that was threatening to break out of his chest, knowing that if he did he might die. His silence was of the upmost importance, his future depended on it. No matter what, he could not... make a... sound.

"You drive like a maniac," Loki complained as he got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. "I should be the one that drives from now on, I'm obviously better at it than you."

"You don't even have a license!" The driver's door was slammed with equal force as Tony glared, "And I've seen the way you pilot an airship or whatever you call it; if I let you drive, we'd be lucky to make it out alive."

Peter was not about to admit that Loki has driven before and managed to make Mr. Stark's driving look like an old grandma...

That thought caused a small snort of laughter to escape as he stepped out of the car, causing both men to turn at him in unison and glare. Peter held up his hands as he took a step back, bowing out of whatever argument they were about to start with him.

A loud animal calling captured Peter's attention, all of his senses focusing on that call. It was Loki and Tony that started chuckling then, Tony's hand clamping on Peter's shoulder and tugging him over to the Asian Gate of the Bronx Zoo.

"C'mon, kid," Tony grinned, "You can't spend all day arguing, we have too many animals to see!"

"Yeah!" Peter cheered along as they walked toward the gate, his senses going wild with the new and strange sounds.

"Is this really necessary?" Loki asked as he walked on the other side of Peter, "What is the point of looking at animals through glass? It's just the same as watching a video of them."

"That-" Tony let go of Peter's shoulder to point at Loki, "-is the reason we brought you along too. Once you get in there, you will change your mind! No prodigy of mine nor his nearly criminal and slightly less cool other mentor will go their lives without experiencing a proper zoo. I will not stand for it."

Loki rolled his eyes and huffed out a bored sigh as they entered the gates, Tony going on about what animals they would see as Peter just looked around with child-like excitement. Loki had suggested they grab a map, but Tony denied needing one. Just stay on the path and they'd be fine.

It wasn't until they ended up in a parking lot five minutes after entering that Loki ignored Tony's protests and went back for a map.

"This is the Asia parking center, where we were supposed to park. Meaning we walked two blocks to get here for nothing."

"Well how was I supposed to know that? I've never been here before."

"It was your idea to come here-"

Peter, though quietly laughing at his mentors, slid the map out of Loki's hands and looked down at all the paths they could take. Back and to the right a bit was the Jungle World, a large building with indoor habitats. Speakers were on the outside of the building and sending out the jungle animals calls that Peter could hear even from this distance, a surge of adrenaline rushing through him every time the tiger's roar was played.

Glancing over at the two men with him, Peter shook his head fondly at their bickering before going behind them and giving a small push in the direction they needed to go. "Come on, there are animals to see and places to be! We don't have all day!"

Slightly caught off guard by the push, both of them went quiet as they shared a look. Tony then laughed as he grabbed both Peter and Loki by the shoulders and headed to the direction that Peter instructed.

Loki glanced at Tony's hand on his shoulder, tempted to shrug it off. But Peter and Stark both looked so happy that Loki couldn't even bring himself to stay in his comfort zone of no touching... Damn these humans and their happy expressions.

Upon entering the building, Loki's nose wrinkled at the smell of so many animals. That was a very... strange smell that Loki hoped he wouldn't smell again after this. Though when Peter let out a loud exclaim of excitement as he ran to the glass window of the first enclosure, Loki decided that he could suffer through the smell just this time.

He must be going soft... Letting himself go through such things he normally wouldn't bother with just for these two silly humans. At this point, he was used to going an extra mile for Peter's sake, but now he was even caving in to Stark's happiness.

"What is that?" Tony laughed a bit, his head tilting slightly as he stared at the animal. "It looks like a... A bear or something."

"A really strange bear," Loki added, taking in the white face and nearly red coat. It was nothing like any bear he saw on TV before.

"A Tree-Kangaroo," Peter grinned, watching the little creatures climb around on the branches. "Native to the Huon Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea island."

The silence from the two adults caused Peter to turn to them, seeing their questioning and confused gazes. The boy laughed as he pointed to a sign he was standing in front of, "It's all right here if you want to read it yourselves."

Tony dramatically rolled his eyes with an overly exasperated sigh, quickly moving on to the next exhibit. Peter tried to stifle his laughter as Loki chuckled a bit from behind, a smaller and slightly less dramatic eye roll of his own being made known.

They all worked their way through the building, making jokes or quips at each other's (mostly directed at Peter during the nocturnal exhibits). It was really fun when they got to the weird pig-elephant things; the small rant that Loki went on about the Tapir's weirdness nearly had Peter and Tony rolling.

But Peter sobered up pretty quickly when the hairs on his arms stood up, a chill going down his spine and his senses screaming 'DANGER' at him.

"Child?" Loki questioned, an eyebrow raised at Peter's odd behavior. "Are you alright?"

The question caused Tony to look up as well, his laughter cutting short abruptly at the look on Peter's face. "Kid, what's wrong?"

Peter gulped as he slowly turned around, his eyes meeting large pale green eyes of a predator. He stood frozen there, staring into the restless eyes of the Amur Leopard as it stood on a branch. All of Peter's senses were screaming at him to run or fight, to take a defensive pose or hide or do something!

"Kid," Tony's hand on his shoulder caused Peter to jump slightly, breaking eye contact with the leopard and look at the two men with him. "You good?"

Peter looked back at the large cat that was now pacing back and forth on the branch - safely behind the glass wall. He gave a shaky nod as he turned back to his mentors. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"Obviously not," Loki frowned with his arms crossed. "Your senses went off from the leopard, didn't they? Being this close to a predator isn't good for you, we should go."

"No!" Peter shook his head, glancing between the two of them. "I'm fine, really! I did get a sense of danger, but it's no big deal! It just caught me off guard is all, I'll be okay."

A stare off between the three of them started, Loki trying to find a lie in Peter's words, Peter doing his best to convey his sincerity, and Tony watching them both.

"If the kid says he's okay," Tony started, capturing both of their attention, "then he'll be okay. Given that Spidey-Sense of his isn't telling us that this kitty is about to break free, of course."

Loki looked like he was about to argue, but Peter's laugh stopped him. With one last look to the leopard that was still staring intently at them, the trio kept walking.

Peter later felt that same sense of danger when he came near the gharial enclosure, which was soon written off as his instincts alerting him to predators and not necessarily immediate dangers. It didn't make Loki feel any better about Peter being around the animals, but with Tony and Peter against him, he had to cave.

"I'll tell you what," Tony chuckled as they exited the building, "those Asian crocodile things will definitely be haunting my mind for a while."

"The langurs still remind me of Peter," Loki smirked at the boy behind him, who sent a playful glare at him.

"Just like the nocturnal snakes remind me of you." Peter chuckled as he stepped out, his eyes squinting as he adjusted to the brightness and heat of the outside. "Though I may be tempted to go back inside and see if I can find something else. Was it this hot out here before?"

"Yep," Tony chuckled as he pointed in the direction a motor sound was coming from. "The monorail must be that way; we should get a slight breeze while on that. At least have a covering over our heads for the sun."

As they walked towards the ride, Loki pulled a bag out of thin air with a flash of green. He reached inside and pulled out a narrow bottle, putting it in Peter's hands as they continued to walk. "While we will be under a covering for some time, the moving ride will position the sun at certain angles that will most likely be on you. And we all know how quickly you burn... So you may want to put this on."

Peter held the bottle of sun screen, chuckling a bit. He knew that tone of voice that Loki used - the mom-tone. While it was worded like a suggestion, Peter knew that it was actually an instruction with no room for escape. And he wasn't the only one that heard it either...

Tony snorted as he looked back at them, an eyebrow raised with a teasing smirk, "You just sounded like a mom." His eyes traveled to the bag in Loki's hands as his smirk grew, "Is that a diaper bag?"

"No, it is not." Loki glared pointedly as the bag disappeared. "It is just a bag that holds things Peter could need."

"Yeah, that sounds a lot like a diaper bag."

The two of them continued to bicker the rest of the way to the monorail, Peter chuckling the whole time. It was extremely ironic to him that his parental figures were arguing like a married couple, and the looks of the people nearby told him they seemed to think along the same lines. One elderly lady even gave him a reassuring smile as she whispered to someone he assumed was her husband.

Peter vaguely wondered how the newspapers would respond to this new possible ship... But on second thought, it might not be a good thing if they found out. The media would probably accuse Mr. Stark of cheating of Ms. Potts, along with a whole lot of other bad things. So it might just be best for Peter to keep this ship to himself.

A small laugh escaped him at the thought, causing Tony and Loki to abruptly stop their arguing as the three of them boarded the train.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Peter shook his head. He would be dead if they ever found out about his new ship. "Just my overactive teenage mind working a bit too hard."

Tony laughed, "That's a scary thought."

" _Hello everybody_ ," The monorail tour guide started, capturing everyone's attention as the train started moving.

The ride was very relaxing and peaceful. Peter loved seeing the deer and wild horses, something he never thought he would - especially while still in the city! Loki turned into a hero at that point when he pulled Peter's camera out of that green light and handed it to him. Peter had completely forgotten earlier and was silently beating himself up over it the whole ride to the zoo. He would have hugged Loki if he didn't know better!

There was one point when the train stopped for a while, the tour guide claiming she would restart it and they'd soon be on their way. Peter wasn't complaining though, he was able to get some great shots.

Shortly after the train started again though, the guide warned everyone once again to stay seated no matter what. It wasn't long after that when Peter felt that familiar tingle down his spine. But that didn't make sense, why would he-

Peter stiffed as he saw the shockingly bright orange among the greenery just as the guide announced their next animal.

" _The Siberian Tiger! I'll slow the train so you can all get a good look at him_..."

Her voice faded out as Peter slowly raised his camera, snapping pictures of the tiger lounging on the grass and doing his best to block out that strange sense of his. There were a few strands of wire keeping the huge predator cat away from their open train car - what could possibly be dangerous about that?

Loki watched Peter closely as the boy took pictures, knowing what he was ignoring to do so. Loki hated when Peter ignored his danger senses, the boy had them for a reason so he should pay more attention to them! Especially when there was something dangerous around that they knew about... But he could overlook it this time, since he and Stark were there and they would never allow something to actually hurt him while they were watching. Besides... Peter did look happy as he took pictures. The boy would be eager to get them posted on his photography page as soon as they got back to the Compound. So there weren't that many drawbacks to him ignoring the danger just this once.

Tony's thoughts were much along the same lines, though he had a faint smile on his face. Tony hated when Peter ignored his Spidey-Sense, he had been telling the boy that since he'd found out about it. And Tony did feel an amount of guilt for taking him to the zoo without even thinking of what effects the predators would have on Peter. But Peter seemed happy, though a little on edge... Tony still should have thought about the animals. That was definitely his fault. He should have known better. He was a genius after all!

The ride continued with (thankfully) no more predators to stress them all out. And the whole time Peter stayed mostly silent to take pictures of the animals and scenery, muttering his awe under his breath from time to time. It was actually kind of scary, neither Tony nor Loki had been around a silent Peter while he was awake. Any pictures they had witnessed in the past only lasted a short while before the boy was off rambling again. Yet here they were on a thirty minute train ride and Peter hadn't even started a conversation since being handed his camera.

The rest of their zoo trip went along the same pattern as well. Though Peter did talk more once they were off the train and he wasn't rushing for pictures; he was a normal chatter box all the way until they got to a new animal exhibit and then would fall silent as soon as he looked through his lens.

That left a lot of awkward quiet between Loki and Tony as they watched him crouch or kneel next to a fence to get pictures. Though, surprisingly, it was Loki that first started talking.

"He has never shown me his pictures before... For all I know, he's just getting blurred images."

"Oh no," Tony chuckled and shook his head a bit. "Pete's great at this, his pictures are amazing. He's shy about them though, so he only posts them online. It actually took me a while to find them."

"Oh?"

Tony glanced at him, "Do you have Instagram? Never mind, of course you don't." He dug for his phone in his pocket and went into the app, typing on it for a second before handing it to Loki. "All of that - him. It's fantastic."

Loki had to agree with Stark on this, Peter definitely had talent. Most of the pictures were of the city skyline at various times of day, though they were all filled with color - the bright and crisp colors of the morning, the calm and rustic colors of the sunsets, even the noisy colors of the nightlife managed to seem breathtaking. Silhouettes of people were also a favorite it would seem, and Loki had a sneaking suspicion that more than one of them were of him. A chuckle couldn't help but escape him when he saw a few pictures of Spider-Man in mid-swing...

The boy had dabbled in quite a few different forms of photography and managed to make it all look effortless.

"This Instagram..." Loki started, handing Tony back his phone, "How do I get it?"

Tony smirked and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

Little did they know, a camera's shutter went off in their direction. A smirk of his own on Peter's face as he chuckled. It was hard to stay silent for so long and pretend to take so many pictures after he got what he needed; but Peter knew that if they were given enough time, Tony and Loki would start getting along.

And now he had the pictures to prove it.

 **A/N: You have no idea how many times I had to re-write this... Wattpad kept deleting all my progress. I screamed at the computer so much.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this nice family setting . Because the next requested chapter will (hopefully) rip your hearts out!**

 **Please remember to leave a review! A happy author means faster updates!**

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"Are you really buying that for him?"

"What? It's food, Peter needs food."

"It is junk food; Peter eats enough of that already. He needs something healthier."

Peter chuckled as he listened to his 'parents' arguing in front of the food stand. All he wanted was a corn dog... Just a simple fried thing on a stick. It didn't look like he would be getting it though...

"Peter," Loki called, ignoring Tony and turning to him, "Eat this."

Peter's brows pushed together as he held out his hands, curiously looking to see what Loki dropped in them.

It was veggie sticks. It was actually veggie sticks in a zip lock bag. This was a whole new level of 'mom friend'. This was... This was like...

This was Soccer Mom Friend.


	19. Don't Wanna Go

**A/N: requested by Guest on FFN! I hope you enjoy it! It's a bit shorter than I** **would like, but I've done all I could while still keeping it true to the story...**

Loki's head was spinning as he looked around the dusty wasteland planet he was on. He tried to get his bearings, remember how he got there. Why was his mind so hazy?

The fight with Thanos... They lost the battle because of that idiot Star Lord.

Loki cursed that fool for ruining the plan. They almost had the gauntlet off of that titan! They were so close! But that... that _baulufotr_ just had to get emotional right then!

His thoughts were interrupted as Peter stepped in front of him with a weak smile, offering his hand to help Loki up. He couldn't manage a smile back, but Loki did take the hand and pulled himself up.

With one hand on his stab wound and the other gripping Peter's shoulder for balance, the two of them limped back to where everyone was.

"What will happen now?" Peter asked, his eyes locked on the rocky ground beneath them. "We lost, what does that mean for us?"

Although Loki's strength was very low, he found enough to return the smile. "Have faith, child. Thanos still has to fight the Avengers on earth, they will defeat him."

Peter opened his mouth to reply, but a hard chill going down his spine stopped him. Loki didn't need to ask what happened because he felt it too. Something had just changed... Something wasn't right and the whole universe could feel it.

Along with the sense of impending dread, Loki felt as if he had just broken a promise. He did... Thanos had snapped. There was nothing else to explain why they all felt like that.

"Something's happening...!" The insect girl called out, her eyes wide as she looked at the people around her. Loki's eyes couldn't help but stare as her body disintegrated into... dust and blew away in the wind.

"Quill?" The large oaf caught their attention next, his body already half gone. A moment later and he was joining his friend in the wind.

Star Lord turned to Loki and Peter, his eyebrows pushed together and regret written on his face. Loki felt his breathing pause for a split second as he watched Quill become dust as well, the wizard not far behind as Loki took a few steps in their direction.

This was... horrible. Even by Loki's standards, this was in no way right nor did it make any sense. And what of Thor? Did his brother survive this? Would Loki even survive this? There was no magic that he knew of to counter this-

"Mr. Loki...?"

Loki's blackened heart froze as he heard Peter's quivering voice; he nearly dreaded turning around to face the inevitable. But he did, seeing Peter stumble towards him on shaky legs.

"I don't feel so good... I don't- I don't know what's happening..."

Loki jumped up and caught Peter just before he fell over, the boy clinging onto him desperately -as if clinging onto him would keep Peter alive. Loki wished it did. "You're okay, child, you're going to be okay."

He wasn't going to be okay; even now Loki could see parts of his legs flaking away.

"Please, Mr. Loki, I don't wanna go - I don't wanna go...!" Peter broke off into small sobs, repeating the mantra as best he could as his legs went out. Loki lowered them both to the ground as gently as he could, doing his best to reassure Peter. He hated that it was all that he could do.

Peter's form was shaking as he lay against the ground, his eyes darting around before landing on Loki. His features softened slightly, regret and guilt written all over Peter's face.

"I'm sorry..."

Loki opened his mouth to ask what this child could be sorry about. Why was he apologizing, especially in this moment? Peter did nothing wrong and he shouldn't apologize for the actions of others! Loki wanted to tell him all his and more, about how proud he was of Peter for fighting so well. Or that he would find a way to fix this. Loki wanted to say so much, but his voice was gone. He couldn't speak, couldn't even force out a hum of acknowledgement.

And then Peter was gone.

The ashes that were once Peter were blowing away in the wind. Loki could do nothing but sit there in disbelief as the last traces of Peter left his hand.

Emotions like never before swarmed in Loki's chest. He felt like screaming, cursing, destroying this miserable planet... Because after everything that Loki had done, every evil deed he did in his life, Loki was still here. He was here and Peter was gone. The worst that boy - that child - ever did was take a chip off of someone else's plate! Loki had murdered, conquered, lied, cheated, betrayed his own family! So why was he still standing and Peter wasn't?

Why...?

Why?

 _Why?!_

 _"Brother!"_

What?

 _"Loki! Loki, brother, wake up!"_

With a gasp, Loki sat up straight, his eyes wide as he searched the room before landing on Thor's worried figure next to his bed.

"What-" A harsh cough cut him off. What had happened to him? His throat felt like it was filled with sand that seemed to empty from his mind - if the migraine he felt said anything. If he was sick again may God help the poor fool who had-

"An enhanced attacked," Thor said, cutting off Loki's murderous thoughts. "You and Stark were hit and have been asleep for most of the day. The enhanced wasn't that strong after it hit the two of you so we took it down easily. Are you alright, brother? You are... sweating. You never sweat."

Quickly swiping a hand against his forehead and pulling it back damp, Loki cursed under his breath. What he had seen... It must have been a dream. But why that? He hadn't even known Peter when they had fought-

Something clicked in Loki's head as he glanced over to the bed on the other side of the room that Stark was starting to stir from. Loki was a _fairly_ observant person, so he hadn't missed the way that Tony and Peter had avoided certain words and phrases when he had first came to the Compound. Peter had said those... cursed... words once when his aunt had come to pick him up, and suddenly stiffed. It had caught Loki's interest, why would this child regret announcing such a complaint? But the way he had looked over at Stark right afterward and the grimace on the man's face said that it was a personal thing between them.

Personal and traumatizing...

So that wasn't a dream. It was a memory - most likely from Stark. Meaning that Peter had said those words right before turning into dust and basically dying right in Stark's arms... Loki couldn't imagine the pain that must have caused.

Tony was sitting up now, gasping for air much like how Loki had minutes ago. The two of them locked eyes for a second and Loki knew that he was right. Because the look in Stark's eyes were that of second-hand remorse, only capable of expressing when one saw someone go through something painful. Loki imagined his face was much the same. He briefly wondered what memory of his did Stark see, but pushed it away. He had more pressing matters now.

"Where's Peter?" While the event happened long ago, the new memory was still playing over in his mind. He needed to see Peter with his own two eyes... He needed to ground himself and confirm that the boy was whole and in one piece.

"Peter is just outside..." Thor turned toward the door, starting to go to it. "I will get him for you, he has been eager to see how you both fared."

Banner had gone with Thor, leaving Tony's side by the man's request. Loki watched them with careful green eyes until the door closed behind them, soon jumping across the room to Stark.

"What did you see?"

"...The Chitauri. You?"

Loki sucked in a breath; he knew exactly which memory that was. It seemed they were both cursed with the worst ones.

"The aftermath of the battle on Titan."

It was silent between the two of them for a short while before the door opened and Peter came rushing in, his eyes darting between the two of them. "Are you okay? You slept all day, I was so worried! I came up with a plan to wake you up but Ms. Potts wouldn't let me. She said that if I jumped off the Compound without my suit it would only hurt you instead of wake you up. I probably shouldn't have said that... I'll shut up now; are you okay?"

Loki couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief as he saw Peter's normal rambling self, his nerves and unruly emotions being put away by the sight. Peter was alive and whole and on Earth, and that's all that currently mattered.

 **A/N: I know this was requested as an AU... And I really tried several different ways to write it (e.g. Time travel, Loki went to earth instead of Hulk, Peter (somehow) ended up with the Guardians and went with Thor and Loki to Nidavellir). But none of them worked out. I hope that you don't mind this instead! Loki reliving Tony's memory of the dusting is heartbreaking in its own way**.

 **Also! Next chapter is going to be my 20th chapter! I don't think I've ever kept with a story for this long before... I have a few things planned, but it needs a vote! Do you want whump or fluff for the 20th chapter special? Please comment or I'll choose for you!**


	20. Special 20

**A/N: Wow... This is my 20th chapter...! I can hardly believe it! It might not seem like much but I don't think in all my 10+ years of writing I have ever kept at a story for this long. It was always a miracle if I wrote 10 chapters!**

 **This story literally started as a joke... I had never even considered a Peter and Loki pairing in any form until a friend sent me a tumblr post about the two first meeting. I thought it would be funny to add to it! I had absolutely no intention of continuing it! I mean... What could I even have written for this pair? But by popular demand, I posted a second chapter and people seemed to love that too! So I kept writing and posting and I did requests and I got so many positive reviews...! So many people commenting and saying that my update made their day (those are my favorite types of reviews)! I know what it feels like to drop everything and read the new chapter to my favorite fanfic when I see it updated, but I never imagined that people would do that for me! I've gotten reviews within MINUTES of posting! That's crazy! I can't wrap my head around it!**

 **I know you're all eager to get on with the story, so I just want to say thank you to everyone that reads this story. And a huge thank you to everyone that comments! All the positive feedback is probably the only reason that this story has made it this fair.**

 **I love you all 3000 3**

Peter could honestly say he was not a fan of ninja enhanced super humans. He really wasn't... Especially when they could do dumb things like turn into toxic gas, blood bend his body, and a whole lot of other stuff that he wasn't fond of...

It had started out as such a good day too! His teachers didn't give him any homework except for a really easy reading assignment that he had already finished during his lunch, Flash had only been a minor annoyance, MJ praised him during their Decathlon practice (she told him he didn't suck, which was basically the same thing), and a little girl had called Spider-Man her favorite Avenger! It was a great day!

But then this group had to show up and ruin it all...

"Okay, wait," Peter held up a hand, adjusting his mask with the other, "I have to ask... Did you really get the idea for blood bending from Avatar? Or is that just what you've always done- Ah!"

His eyes closed in pain as the man moved his hand, Peter's body slamming against the concrete ground.

"You talk too much."

"What can I... say? I like a good conversation."

A jerk of the wrist and Peter slapped himself. A smirk and low chuckle left him as he lifted his head again, "Hey, if I punch myself and it hurts, does that mean I'm weak or strong?"

The sound of his jaw snapping shut as his fist collided with his face was slightly sickening, but he had to admit he was asking for it...

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Well-"

"Enough!" A woman's voice cut through, marching into the room with a trail of men behind her. "Why are you playing games? Capture or kill, those were our orders. You've captured, so why are you still here? Why has he not been sedated yet?"

Peter felt like he was in the middle of an action movie or something... Of course the leader of the ninjas was a killer Asian lady in a black body suit that could rival Nat's. She even had that super-villain perfect hair and flawless makeup that seemed almost unnatural... Overall, she was a villainous queen that could one-hundred percent kill him with a single look.

"You've got a little problem with that, ma'am," Peter lifted his head, smiling behind his mask. "Your ninja guys here stuck that needle in my neck earlier, it lasted a few minutes. It was just long enough for me to be moved from that room-" his head nodded over to a room through an open doorway, "-into here. It would take an awful lot of that stuff to keep me out for however long you need to get me to your boss. So why not save us all the time and effort and just turn yourselves in?"

They all stared at him for a while, the woman's eyes narrowing as she took a step forward. "You are very-"

"Brilliant? Dashing? Funny?"

"Annoying."

"Yeah, I get that a lot... But at least I keep things- Hey!" Peter's eyes were wide as he looked up at the woman, her hand pulling his mask off. The bright sunlight in the room assaulted his eyes, causing him to squint and look away. There was a cold draft that sent chills down his spine - or was that his spidey-sense going off? Either way, he didn't like it.

A cold hand grabbed his face and turned him to face upwards, forcing him to look at the woman. "You are a child... That is good; you are more trainable this way."

"Trainable? What am I, a dog?"

"You will be."

Peter raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant by that. And he was fully ready to ask a thousand questions to find out when she swiftly turned away from him.

"But you see, Spider-san, you missed the part where I said they could kill you. My boss does not care either way; he just wants your body. Having you alive was only a luxury. So if you do not cooperate with us, we will have no problem with killing you."

That definitely made Peter's hair stand up and a bad feeling swell in the pit of his stomach. "Now listen-"

His body flew against the wall, his arms spread out to the sides and head pressed firmly back. Overall a very uncomfortable experience...

"Tell me, Spider-san, do you know what happens to the body when all the blood stops flowing for an extended period of time? The blood is what transports oxygen to the cells, but with no blood flow there's no oxygen. Once the oxygen tension in blood is low, muscles start to release certain factors to dilate the vessels. After some time, when the cells cannot cope up without oxygen and nutrients, cells start to die. During cell death, potassium is released. Later the whole limbs starts to die, it is called gangrene. Ischemia as such can cause pain, by release of local factors from muscles which stimulate nerves. Later when nerve is also affected there would be patesthesia and paralysis.

"But say the flow of blood returns just before all the... bad stuff happens? There should be sudden inflow of blood with oxygen in an oxygen deprived area. This would produce reperfusion injury, which is more damaging than ischemia itself. Because of vessel wall injury there would be more leakage of plasma into interstitium. Free radicals produced would damage more tissues. There is also enhanced inflammation. Not to mention the toxic products produced due to cell death is released suddenly into the blood stream. One would be the local factors produced from cell injury which can cause global hypotension. Other would be potassium, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia," She paused slightly and looked at Peter, a dark smirk playing on her lips, "and sudden death."

Peter blinked a few times, an eyebrow raised as his eyes darted around the room before landing on her again. "...Yeah, no. I have absolutely no idea what you just said. I'm a physics nerd, I don't really do... _medical_... stuff."

She sighed loudly, her shoulders dropping slightly. "You will die very painfully. Like thousands of needles stabbing you from the inside out as your heart attempts to explode from your chest."

Cringing slightly, Peter made a face and shook his head. "Can we not do that? Don't tell anyone but I thought it would be cool to try sleeping on the ceiling once - turned out to be a horrible idea. My leg came unstuck and dangled with no movement for an hour or so, when I woke up the pain was so bad I couldn't walk. I had to tell Mr. Loki that I had sprained it in the gym so he wouldn't be suspicious!"

He laughed for a second, expecting some of them to at least crack a smile. But all of the crazy ninjas didn't have a sense of humor it would seem. Someone should invent a 'humor no jutsu' for them or something...

"Kill him." The woman commanded, her blank stare turning bored as she turned her back to him.

"I don't think so," Twitching his finger slightly, Peter managed to press the trigger for his web shooter, a ball of the white stuff flying into the air and catching everyone's attention. Just the distraction he needed for the blood bender to release him.

Quickly taking action, Peter shot the bender full of webs to make sure he couldn't stop Peter again. Once the man was in a nice little cocoon he moved onto the others. By now they had all realized what was happening and starting to use their powers against him, or bullets for a few cases... But Peter wouldn't judge them, not everyone had attack powers.

Dodging bullets and powers alike, Peter climbed up the wall and shot webs at the hands of all his attackers. When he wasn't being controlled, it was actually pretty easy to take these guys down. Even the boss lady was webbed up without that much of a fight.

Until the toxic gas man decided to shift into his gas form... It was actually really gross to have a giant green cloud with a face attacking him.

And his webs didn't really have an effect on a gas substance, so he had no choice but to run-

"Enough!"

Peter's eyes widened as his body slammed against the floor, a pressure all over his body and keeping him from moving.

Heels clicked against the floor and Peter almost cursed. Of course she wouldn't go down that easily...

"You," Her long nails scrapped his head as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up, "Are much more trouble than you are worth."

The second her hand let go of his hair, his body flew back to the wall. A low groan escaped him as his head connected with the wall, his vision swimming with black spots as he watched his webs dissolve away from everyone. This wasn't going to be good...

"Kill him, and make sure you don't let him go again."

"Hai, Ito-sama," The blood bender bowed his head before looking at Peter with rage-filled eyes.

Definitely not good.

Peter's eyes glanced to the window on the other side of the room, wishing more than anything he hadn't told Loki he would be an hour late to their meeting. Loki would have been looking for him if he would have just kept the original time, possibly even found him already. But he wasn't and Peter could tell that he was in serious danger right now and-

His body froze painfully so, his eyes widening as his mouth parted slightly. He could feel it... he could actually feel his blood stop moving. Within seconds his body started to lose feeling, that slight numbness starting to take over him.

"Did you know," The woman was in front of him, her dark eyes searching all over his face, "that it only takes a few minutes for your cells to start dying? Only four-to-six minutes, in fact. What will it be with you? Four or six?"

Peter did the best he could to glare at her, but it must not have worked because she only laughed at him as she started to walk away. "Bring his body when you're finished with him, I will go ahead to the master."

That tingly feeling was becoming more pronounced as he did his best to fight against the power, summing up all his strength to make another attempt at freedom. However, his strength wasn't enough... He couldn't even move a finger this time.

His breathing became labored, every breath causing him pain but every breath more needed than the last. He wasn't getting enough air, he needed more... He really needed more or he was going to die. He had to get out of this or-

"Peter!"

Peter's eyes darted to the doorway, seeing the woman there again. Something didn't make sense about that... Why didn't that make sense...? His name... How did she know his name-

Loki. That was Loki. Loki was here!

Hope flooded Peter's chest as he looked at his friend in disguise, a small smile on his face for just a second before a scream ripped through him as he collapsed to the floor.

His blood flow was back, moving much too fast through his veins. It felt like liquid fire mixed with razor blades were shooting through every part of him, stabbing and cutting him in places he didn't even know had feeling. Then there was his heart... His heart felt like an inferno was lit in it, the fire causing it to expand painfully. It felt as if it kept swelling and swelling and it would burst at any moment, the pressure building every second. He was in complete and utter agony...

And then everything was black.

Loki had been alerted by Stark of a protocol in Peter's suit that had gone off a short while ago, which of course sent Loki into a rant about how Peter was always getting into trouble. Stark was already en route but he had been out of state and it would take some time for him to arrive, so Loki went ahead without him.

The GPS in Peter's suit was only a short distance away, a few minutes tops. Loki wasn't extremely worried; Peter could take care of himself after all. He wouldn't even be surprised if Peter had pulled the demonic child act again and had the criminals cowering by the time he got there. Loki almost hoped that the boy had thought of another act to play, it was quite amusing to watch...

When he arrived to an abandoned store in a shady part of the city, and there were no screams of terror, a small pang of fear shot through him. But he wouldn't think about that now, he didn't have time.

Casting an illusion on himself, he walked down the sidewalk to the building, pausing as he saw a woman exit and get into a car with two men following. An idea forming in his head, Loki smirked and cast another illusion after the car was down the road.

The men guarding the door on the inside didn't even look at him as he walked in, he had to fight to keep a straight face. It had been so long since he was able to infiltrate something like this, it was nice.

All pleasant feelings went away once he entered the main room where all the people were... Peter was strung up by something unseen on the far wall; his arms spread and skin a sickly pale with a blue hue. His mouth was parted slightly as he attempted to gasp in air but winced every time.

Something was very wrong with Peter and Loki did _not_ like that at all.

"Peter!" He called his name before he could stop himself, everyone's attention suddenly on him.

Peter's body dropped to the floor, an agonized scream leaving him as he started seizing on the cold ground. Loki let his illusion fade as he took a step forward, his eyes locked on Peter's form. Everyone else seemed to tense, their bodies positioned to move as they half watched Peter and half watched Loki.

Then Peter stopped moving, a small, barely audible sigh passing his lips as he went limp on the ground.

Half a second later, everyone was moving. Loki dodged most of the attacks as he ran towards Peter, his daggers appearing in a flash of light as he threw a few attacks of his own to the humans that wouldn't get out of his way.

Just as he was about to reach Peter though, another hand grabbed the boy's arm. In a flash of red, the boy and man were gone.

"Peter...!" Loki's eyes were wide as he stared at the floor where Peter's body had once been. It wasn't an illusion magic hiding them, because Loki would have been able to feel them. They were... gone.

"You won't ever find them now," One of the men said from behind him. "Spider-Man is ours, and the next time you see him will be your death."

Taking a deep breath, Loki slowly stood up. He tried to gain control of the burning rage inside him, tried to keep himself from giving in to the voice in the back of his head that told him to destroy these lowlifes for even thinking of hurting Peter. Because Peter wouldn't want that...

"We will force him to kill everyone that he loves."

"...Du uforsiktig narre."

"What-"

Before the man could finish his question, a dagger was thrown at him and hit right in his chest. He went down before he even knew what happened.

"Who wishes to die next?" Loki asked, turning around to face the others. They were all silent for a second or two, staring with wide eyes at their comrade bleeding on the floor. One by one they all looked to Loki with glares that rivaled Peter's - extremely weak and not scary in the least. The masks they wore should have covered their whole faces and not just the eyes, it would have done a better job of hiding the obvious fear they all felt.

The first to move was a rather skinny man in the back; his top half lurched forward, his hands around his middle and body shaking in what appeared to be pain. The shaking became more intense as he started disintegrating, turning into a green gas form. Any other time and Loki would have rolled his eyes.

Positioning his hands, Loki let his rage out in a blast of ice that surrounded the gas monster and turned it into a frozen... thing on the floor. He could tell the man was trying to transform back, but the ice was too solid for such an act.

A quiet grunt caused by moving a body with excessive force alerted Loki to the sneak attack behind him, quickly ducking down to avoid the leg aimed at his head before twisting around. Another dagger appeared in his hand as he slashed at the man's chest, carelessly tossing him to the side as he moved on to the next man.

They all rushed at him then, attempting to overwhelm him. Thankfully all those years of following Thor into battle had given him more than enough training to handle them. However, he had to send a particularly powerful illusion to the one that tried controlling his blood. That one could almost be a problem.

"One of you knows where that man took the boy," Loki started, dropping another person to the ground, stepping on his chest to get over him, "and you will tell me - eventually; even if I have to force it out of you. And trust me when I tell you that you do not want me to do that."

There it was, Loki thought with a smirk, the hesitance and unsure glances between them. They believed him - as well they should. Loki had no problem with destroying them for that information; he had no problem with destroying this entire building if it would mean they would cave to him faster.

That might actually be an idea...

With a wicked smirk, Loki stood up straight and glanced around. "Alright, I will give you until the count of five to tell me where the boy is, or I will flatten this building and you in it. One," He held up a finger, gauging all of their reactions.

Someone in the back turned their body to steel, another started conducting electricity into his hands, one even glanced at the door as if trying to think of an escape plan... Loki would never allow such a thing.

"Five."

Their eyes widened as he skipped over all the numbers, his palm open to them as a green flash filled the room. Loki took a small amount of pleasure at the scream Steel Man let out when he saw the room explode. They all ducked for cover, letting out various noises of pain or fear at the illusion Loki was making them see.

Walking forward, Loki stood over Steel Man, watching as he struggled to keep the metal covering his body. Waiting just a second, he threw a dagger into the man's flesh hand and pinned him to the ground.

"Tell me where the boy is," His green eyes scanned the man's body quickly, "before I put the next one somewhere more... delicate."

"N-No!"

"Have it your way," Loki shrugged as he pulled the dagger from the man's hand, aiming it at a different part of his body. Just before he could carry out his promise, a weaker voice called from behind him.

"Onii-san...!"

Turning around, Loki spotted the smaller man on the ground, eyes opened slightly and hand reaching for the cur at his feet. Quickly making the connection in his mind, Loki wasted no time in striding to him and grabbing his arm, hoisting the man to his feet and looking into his eyes.

"If you don't want me to kill your brother, tell me where they took the boy." Watching the hesitance pass through him, Loki let out an aggravated sigh and yanked the poor man closer to his brother. "Tell me!"

"Italy!" He whimpered, moving as far away as he could. Loki could hardly believe that this was a warrior apart of the group... He was displaying such shameful behavior.

"Where in Italy...? I am losing my patience with all of you!" His hand flashed again, the young man seeing another illusion that made him scream in fear.

"I don't know! I don't know, please! They don't tell us locations! No location until it is time to meet! Only the higher ups know!"

"You will need to do better than that-"

"Please..." Steel Man reached over to them, "Please don't hurt her. I know where they are, just leave her alone."

Loki raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the person in his hold, pulling the mask off their face. He sighed as he did indeed see the face of a young girl, not much older than Peter... He tossed her to the side before concentrating on her brother again.

"You know where they are, so tell me. I wasn't lying when I told your sister that I was losing my patience, and now it is nearly nonexistent." Loki took a deep breath as he glanced around at the people still in the room before looking back at the man and kneeling next to him, "Tell me now, or I will not hesitate to end the life of every person in this room. The person that you took is just a child that wants to help others. He is too innocent and trusting for his own good, and your leader wishes to do terrible things to him that I will not allow. So don't think for a second that I will go easy on you just because I now hold the title of an Avenger, that boy means much more to me than being a hero."

It was silent for a second as the man took in a breath, his body fully returning to normal as he stared into Loki's green eyes. "The outskirts of Atrani there is a large cave hidden near the coast; high tide covers it completely, but the inside is raised enough that the water doesn't fill it completely. Deep inside that cave is the base of the people who hired us. That is where you will find the boy."

With a smirk, Loki stood up and dusted himself off. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He released the illusion on the room as he dusted his pants, "Someone will be here shortly to clean all of you up. I recommend not putting up a fight with him either; he thinks of this boy as a family member and will probably destroy you all."

Loki walked out the building, leaving behind a group of groaning enhanced.

Now... He just had to figure out how to get to Italy. 

It was cold. And his body was numb, mind confused. He couldn't feel anything and he really didn't want to... He didn't know why, or what happened, but he knew that he didn't want to feel. Because feeling would cause pain and he wasn't a fan of that.

What was he a fan of?

His mind was in a haze, like there was a thick fog covering his memories. That couldn't be good... Why couldn't he remember anything? Why did he think he'd be in pain if he felt? Was he often in pain? Who was he?

Panic started to fill him at the last thought. Why did he not know himself? Of everything in his life, he should be able to remember his name at least! So why-

Before he could think anymore, warmth started to fill his chest and made him aware of just how cold he really was...

He was right, pain was his first feeling. The warmer his chest got, the colder the rest of his body seemed. It got to the point where his fingers were so cold they burned... He was almost ready to scream.

"Awaken," A deep voice suddenly commanded, the sound of it filling his entire being.

With a gasp he sat up, back straight and stiff as he grabbed at his chest to make sure he wasn't on fire - or frozen solid.

Satisfied with his quick evaluation, his head lifted to look around the strange room he was in. The walls were like rock - dark and rough looking - there was a single light hanging from the ceiling and a cold metal table beneath him. The room was small and void of anything else aside from the open doorway carved from the rocks. Where was he that rocks surrounded him?

"You listen well," The voice from earlier spoke, causing him to jump and look at the man next to him.

He was large, but old. His hair, combed back and styled neatly, was graying at the roots and contrasting against the dark brown - almost black - color of his youth. His face was tanned and wrinkled with a large scar across his right cheek, eyes stern but gleaming with an unknown emotion. He wore a white lab coat with hints of an expensive suit peeking out from underneath.

"My name is Beniamino," The man smile, his heavy accent adding a charm to him, "but you may call me Ben."

"Nice to meet you..." He swallowed thickly as he took Ben's hand to shake. He didn't know why, but that name stirred an emotion in him. "Where am I? Who am I?"

"Oh, forgive me, your amnesia slipped my mind, I was just so happy to have you home again." Ben patted his hand as he helped him to stand. "You are Angelo, and you are home in Italy."

"Angelo...?" That name didn't sound right. It sounded foreign and wrong... His name couldn't be-

"Angelo, my angel, my messenger. You were taken from me and brainwashed into believing you were someone else. But you are with me now, my son. You are safe at home once again."

His eyes were so sincere... Angelo had no choice but to believe him. He was home.

"What happened to me? Why don't I remember anything?"

Ben placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently, helping him to stand and steady Angelo's weak legs, "Walk with me, my child, I will explain it. The exercise will be good for you as well, you were asleep for some time..."

Angelo took a step, one hand holding onto the metal table. His legs felt numb, needles stabbing him painfully as he tried to get the circulation back.

The two of them walked out of that room and down a hall, passing multiple other branch offs. Angelo could already tell that if Ben wasn't with him, he would be hopelessly lost. How could there possible be this many halls?

"You, Angelo, are my most trusted and favorite person here." Ben started, ironically smiling at a group of people they passed. "You are the strongest, my best fighter. You send messages to my enemies that strike fear into their hearts, and wipe out the ones who oppose me. You-"

"I hurt people?" He looked up at Ben, his eyebrows furrowed and a small pout on his face.

Ben chuckled and patted his back, "Quite effectively, yes."

"But I don't want to hurt anyone..."

There was a small and awkward silence as Ben stared at him, his face unreadable. Angelo felt like he had made a mistake, like he should have just accepted this... Because why would Ben lie to him?

"Angelo... You are brainwashed by some very bad people... They taught you to spare people, how to show mercy and kindness and other disgusting things like that. But that's not who you are. You are ruthless, lethal, a killer. People fear you. You are evil, and that is good."

Angelo nodded slowly, "If you say so."

"Do not worry, my child, we shall cure you of your weakness."

They started walking again, having turned back to take a new route. Angelo was completely lost now; he didn't even know which path they had originally come from... How Ben was able to expertly maneuver through all of these was way beyond him.

After a walk that was much too long for his tastes, they ended up in a large room that had exercise equipment lining the walls and a large boxing ring in the center. There were a few people sparing in the ring or punching the bags, but they all stopped when the two of them walked in.

"Attention! Everyone, my favorite child is here!"

Applause filled the room, causing Angelo to duck his head a bit. While this was flattering, it didn't feel right. Maybe it was just his amnesia getting the best of him, but he felt like choosing favorites could make the others feel bad. He really didn't want to hurt anybody, despite what Ben said; he didn't want them to be jealous of him or try to push themselves to do what he could. Wait, what could he do? Was he something special? Why would he think that he could do something they couldn't...?

"Listen," Ben continued, "Angelo is currently suffering, he doesn't remember anything from his past. So we will help him, shape him into an even better person than he was before."

He started walking, pulling Angelo along with him toward the punching bags. "Angelo, my child, you do not remember who you are now, but fear not because I will show you. I will open your eyes to the greatness that you can be, train you to use your powers for our betterment, make you feared by all." Ben gestured to the punching bag in front of them, "Hit it with all your strength."

Angelo looked from Ben to the bag, unsure as he brought his fist back before letting it go forward to hit the bag with a light thump. The silence that followed was deafening... Except for a single chuckle in the back; that caused a blush to bloom over Angelo's cheeks.

"Who laughed?" Ben's nostrils flared in anger as his dark eyes scanned over the people, everyone parting like the Red Sea to single out a boy standing in the boxing ring with his arms crossed.

"This is our 'savior'?" The boy asked, taking a step forward. "He's weak, pathetic. There's no way someone like him could 'strike fear into the hearts of our enemies'."

"Guerriero... My warrior, I should have known you would object to this." Ben sighed as he waved his hand forward, "Come here, child."

Angelo scanned the boy, immediately noticing that he was definitely more fit and prepared for a fight at any moment. Guri... Guerre..? ...Angry Warrior Boy would definitely beat him if given the chance.

"I want you to fight." Ben announced, causing Angelo to look at him in shock. Angry Warrior Boy could murder him! He would die! He would most definitely die! There was no way that he would survive a fight with him! What was Ben thinking?

As if sensing his worry, Ben smiled down at him and patted his shoulder. "You will be fine, I have faith in you. Do not hold back from what your body tells you to do, and you will win."

With a push forward, Angelo barely had time to process what was said to him before the fight started, a glowing fist flying towards his face. Strangely enough, his body was already moving out of the way before he even fully realized what was happening.

Back bending low to avoid the follow up punch, Angelo caught himself on his hands as his feet were brought up and slammed into the other boy's chest, knocking him back a few feet. With a rolling jump, Angelo was standing again and slowly circling the area as Angry Warrior Boy followed suit.

A chill went down Angelo's spine as he suddenly stopped and jumped away just as an ice spike grew from the ground he was standing moments before. He landed on one of the punching bags, climbing to the top of it and crouching. There were a few chains hanging from the ceiling and he felt like he could jump to them if he put enough power in the leap. He didn't know why he felt like that, but he wasn't going to question it for too long as Angry Warrior Boy - AWB as he would now be called - was running at him with that same glowing fist.

Taking a deep breath, Angelo leaped into the air just as the fist hit the punching bag. His eyes widened as he went far past the chains and neared the ceiling at a dangerously fast speed, holding his hands in front of him in an attempt to cushion his crash. He was surprised once again when his hands stuck to the rocky ceiling and kept him up there, hanging above everyone.

"What...? How am I...?" Staring at his hands with wide eyes, he tried moving to the wall. His hand almost lost its grip at one point and he kicked his foot up in a ridiculous attempt to get better support... But then his bare foot stuck to the ceiling as well.

Angelo closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, following the advice Ben gave him. Letting his instincts take over, he crawled across the ceiling to the corner where the two walls met. Placing a hand and foot on each wall, he positioned himself directly in the middle and looked down at the awed faces below him. AWB was trying his best to hide it behind a frosty glare, but Angelo still saw it with a smirk.

His muscled tightened a second before he launched himself out of the corner, hurling through the air and back to his opponent. AWB dropped to the ground to avoid a collision, but quickly jumped up again when he heard the thump of Angelo's body on the ground.

Halfway turned around, AWB was met with a foot in his face that snapped his head to the side and knocked him back down. Angelo stood up over him, panting slightly and arms raised to protect himself when AWB got back up.

"Very good!" Been called, walking over to grab Angelo by the shoulders and bring him away. "I knew you would beat him!"

"What- But he's," Angelo tried looking back, wondering why the boy hadn't gotten up yet.

"He's fine, just out cold. Don't worry about him, my child! What you did was eccellente! That jump and kick! Bellissimo, bellissimo!" Ben slipped into his native language as they walked, Angelo not able to understand a word he said...

He glanced back again just before they left the room, seeing the body of AWB still laying on the ground. A few of the other people were gathered around him, one of the older teens placing a hand against his neck for a pulse. Angelo didn't know if he found one or not, because they had turned the corner and blocked his view.

A thought hit him suddenly... If he was supposed to be Italian, then shouldn't he understand what Ben was saying? The man was still gushing over the fight (probably) yet the more Angelo tried to understand, the less he did.

The words soon stopped sounding like words and more like a buzz that filled his head, like white-noise that lulled him to sleep. He was having trouble thinking and his vision was starting to turn black around the edges...

" _Go to sleep, my child. Things will be better when you wake up_."

Angelo had to admit, that sounded like a great idea... Without fighting it any longer, he closed his eyes and succumbed to the call of unconsciousness. 

"Loki has gone rouge..." Thor's fist clenched as he stared at the humans littering the floor, all bleeding in some way - or dead. Even if they were evil, he shouldn't have done something as extreme as this! Humans didn't stand a chance against them, he should have held back just a bit.

"They must have been the ones that took Peter," Tony said, his face plate lifting to get a better look at the damage. "Loki probably did this to find out where he is. He was successful, or he wouldn't have left."

"He hurt them though-"

"Don't you start-" Tony scowled, pointing a finger at him, "You hurt the enhanced humans you fight with. What's so different about Loki doing it, huh? That's what these guys get for being bad, pain. Given, it was a lot of pain, but they basically ask for it!"

Thor went silent for a while, accepting the information. It was true... and Loki was very fond of Peter. If something had happened to him then Loki would have done what he could to prevent it - or fix it.

Now the question was: where were they? If neither of them were here, that must have meant that something did happen to Peter and Loki was on a mission to save/fix him. They just didn't know which...

"Did Loki leave any messages for you to give us?" Tony asked one of the enhanced that was being lead out in chains by the authorities. The girl barely raised her head, glaring at the two of them as she kept moving. "Very helpful, thanks for that."

"Keep moving!" One of the guards shouted as he shoved an enhanced toward the door. The man was larger than his companions, fit and definitely able to take that guard out if he wanted to.

"Is there a problem here?"

The man lifted his head, his dark eyes staring at Tony for nearly a full minute before he quietly asked, "His name was Peter?"

The past tense in that question gripped Tony's chest, his breath nearly stopping. It took a while for him to recover, but he nodded slowly, "Yes, his name is Peter."

It was quiet for a while, both of them staring at each other. Finally, the enhanced man sighed. "Peter is in Italy, Loki is headed there now. Our leader has recently... gone into business with a man there, to capture or kill other enhanced. Loki walked in and distracted Tsukiyomi-san... There was nothing we could do for him."

Tony sucked in a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to process what that meant. "Nothing you could...?" He shook his head slightly, taking a step away. "What does that mean? 'There was nothing you could do for him'? Peter's dead-?"

No one was brave enough to comment about the way that Tony's voice hitched on the last word.

"For now, yes."

It was Thor who spoke next, standing in front of the enhanced with a frown, "Enough games already. Tell us everything!"

"He will be alive again soon, that is the power of the Italian - one of the powers. The man has many; he can steal powers and give them to others. He has been building an army of young enhanced for years, Peter was his last target. The Italian... he has many plans for Peter. I will pray you get to him before his plan comes to pass."

Tony squared his shoulders, bringing his emotions under control as he turned back to them. "What is the Italian's name?"

"Beniamino."

It had been a week since Angelo had returned home, and things were now as if he had never left. He was an expert in maneuvering the paths and tunnels through the base, he made sure that none of the other workers were slacking off, he went into town to pick up the food orders, even going so far as to helping punish the workers who stepped out of their place.

It was hard at first, the people who had captured him before must have done a number on his mind... But each time Angelo woke up, he was returning more and more to normal. He could even fluently speak Italian again. All was right with the world...

Though, deep down, he could still feel as if something wasn't right. Like something in his stomach was twisting every time he hit another boy for speaking out against Beniamino, or when he held a knife to the neck of a town merchant that grew too suspicious of the food orders... It was strange and he didn't like the feeling, but he passed it off as remnants of his previous time in captivity.

That was another thing Angelo found odd; no one would talk about his time in captivity. Beniamino would brush it off and tell him to go rest, and none of the workers would say anything more than 'I am just glad you're back'. It was like the subject was forbidden... Angelo didn't like not knowing though, and luckily he knew the perfect person that would defy orders.

Walking through the dorms, Angelo made his way to the door on the far side of the room. He dodged the beds of the lower level workers in the center, doing his best not to step on their things. The dorms were the only place where the workers were permitted to slack off; as long as the blanket evenly covered the bed everything was fine. Angelo had some complaints about personal belongings... but he would keep them to himself.

Making it to the door, he knocked twice and waited. This worker was nowhere else in the base, so he had to be here.

Half a minute later, the door opened to show the somewhat shocked expression of Guerriero.

"Angelo, this is a surprise," His upper lip pulled up slightly as he sneered at him. "What do you want?"

"Your help."

It was quiet between the two for a minute, Guerriero staring at him with a blank expression. Soon though, he started to laugh a low chuckle that was building louder and gaining attention.

"The world must be ending if you are coming to me...! What's the matter, Ben told you no?"

"Exactly."

Guerriero blinked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "Seriously?"

"He won't tell me what happened while I was captured by the enemy, everyone else fears him enough to turn me down as well. You are the only one who doesn't fear him and possibly has a high enough level to know what happened. Will you tell me?"

Any trace of humor that was left was completely gone now, Guerriero's expression serious and stern as he stepped aside and let Angelo into his room, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Why do you want to know that? This information can get us both in a lot of trouble - yes, even you, Mr. I'm-A-Perfect-Pet. You're here and second in command, why do you want to risk that?"

Angelo thought for a moment, glancing around the room. "I feel... remorse... every time I need to punish a worker, or threaten a civilian. If I did this so much before, what could have possibly happened to me that gave me this feeling? Based on what Beniamino tells me, I should be happy when I'm hurting others - he said it was my greatest pastime. But I'm not, I hate it... Something is not right and I want to know what it is, I want to know happened so that I can fix it."

Silence filled the room again, the two boys staring at each other. Angelo couldn't tell if he would find help in the pale blue eyes of Guerriero or if he would be turned in for asking. This was a risk, a fifty-fifty chance that Angelo didn't like, but he was in desperate need of answers.

The silence seemed to go on forever until the other boy finally sighed and went to sit on his bed, "You don't understand, Angelo, I can be killed for this - all of us here can be killed for telling you this."

"I won't-"

"It's not you who would. You are Beniamino's prize; he has been after you for so long... All of the workers here were put here specifically for you to command. This whole thing was set up for you."

His head tilted slightly, "I don't understand."

Leaning back, Guerriero tried a different approach. "How do you think we all got here?"

"You were orphans that Beniamino took in."

A bitter chuckle passed Guerriero's lips as he shook his head. "All of us? All of us combat trained and enhanced teenagers were orphans that he happened to stumble on? Please, even you're smarter than that."

Angelo blinked, his head tilting again. Now that he thought of it, that really didn't make sense... None of it made sense really. Everyone here was trained and enhanced, just like an army. They all had uniforms for every occasion, ranks, strict rules they all had to follow, round the clock guards...

"We're an army of enhanced..."

"Exactly, but that doesn't answer my question. Where did we come from?"

Angelo's eyes snapped to Guerriero, slightly wide with realization. "We were kidnapped?"

Shaking a finger at him with a bitter smirk, Guerriero nodded. "Bingo."

"Our memories were erased and replaced with lies..."

"Now you're catching on," He clapped his hands sarcastically before leaning back in the bed. "Everything that Beniamino tells you is a lie, he's a master at deception and no one has the power to resist his suggestions. Chances are, you're probably going to have your memory erased again soon. Everyone's noticing how you've been slacking with the punishments... He knows you're questioning things. It's only a matter of time before he gets you again. And sooner or later, you won't even have enough of yourself left to keep asking these things. You will turn into his personal doll and do whatever he pleases."

"I won't!"

"You will."

Angelo glared at him as he swiftly turned around, marching out of the room and to the nearest door out of the dorms. He needed to go out, get fresh air. He needed to breathe. The sounds and smells and everything was just too much, he couldn't take it.

Rushing down the hallway, he almost ran into another worker that was coming in.

Stopping short, Angelo blinked at him. "What are you doing here?" He quickly checked the watch on his wrist, "It's past curfew, and there are no patrols at this time, you shouldn't be here. Why are you here?"

The boy's mouth was opened slightly, as if trying to speak but somehow unable. His eyes were wide as he stared at Angelo in what seemed to be awe... But that couldn't be right.

"Answer me!"

The awe left the boy's eyes, being replaced by shock. It sent a jolt down Angelo's spine, his jaw clenching shut as his ears rang. He hated this... Hated it! None of this was right!

"Are you alright...?"

His eyes opened - when had he closed them? - and stared at the boy in front of him. His head was pounding and his heart racing. It was all becoming too much way too fast... And the wide eyes of the child in front of him only made it worse!

"You don't-"

A growl passed his lips as he slammed his fist against the wall, the passage shaking as small pieces of rocks fell. "Enough!"

"Angelo?" A concerned voice called from behind him, "Angelo, my child, what's wrong?"

He wheeled around to Beniamino, eyes set in a hard glare as he held a hand out. "Don't you dare take another step closer! Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I don't understand, my-"

"No, no, that's just it! I'm not your child! I never was your child! You lied to me, you told me that this was home but it's not! Not for me or any of the other kids here! You kidnapped us all, didn't you? You told us we were something, you trained us into these warriors just for your sick joke! How many kids have I beaten for you; how many civilians?"

"You are confused, Angelo-"

"No, for once this week my head is perfectly clear!" That was a lie, his head was pounding and foggy. But he couldn't show weakness... Not now. "I bet my name isn't even Angelo, and I'm not really Italian! That's why I couldn't understand you when I first woke up...! That's why none of this has felt right since the moment you first told me my name! What even is my real name?"

"Perhaps I can help with that."

Angelo had nearly forgotten about the boy behind him, though a flash of green paired with the voice caused him to remember and turn around. Though instead of the small and scared boy from before, a tall and dark man stood there with arms crossed and a deadly glare at Beniamino.

A searing headache flashed through Angelo's mind, along with the memories of late night conversations on the roofs in a city. Green eyes that were practically glowing in rage were the same as a man that he trusted, each having risked their lives for each other multiple times.

"You..."

Those eyes flashed to him for a second, the smallest of mischievous smirks aimed at him. "Loki of Asgard, pleased to have finally found you, Peter."

Peter... That was his name. Hazed memories started filtering through his head of Spider-Man and the Avengers and his family and friends and his life before. All of his memories breaking free from the fog in his mind, finally filling in the puzzle he had been working on unknowingly since he awoke.

Unfortunately, with his memories came a headache like never before. He slammed his palm into the wall, hoping to keep himself upright as his other hand went to his head in a futile attempt to rub the pain away.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Loki asked, a hand on his shoulder as he stepped in front of him, hiding Peter from Beniamino's view.

"Y-Yeah, just give me a minute."

Loki locked eyes with the older man, the two of them glaring at each other. "As soon as you are able, evacuate this place. Make sure that there are no others in the caves; get everyone outside and a good distance away. Stark should be making a flyby soon, his scanners should find you."

Peter struggled to stand upright, but forced himself to as he started walking down the hall, thankful there was another passage that lead back to the dorms. He hesitated slightly, glancing back at Loki's back; his shoulders to stiff and straight, head held high, and fists clenched. He was definitely mad...

"Go now, child," Loki instructed, not having to look to know that Peter was still there. With a deep breath, Peter took off running down the hall.

With a slight sigh, Loki placed his full attention on the man in front of him. "I have to say, you were a very difficult man to find, even for me. I commend you for that, however, I simply cannot allow you to continue living. I do hope you understand, it would give me too much anxiety knowing that you're alive and could still go after the boy; and that boy already gives me enough things to worry about."

"Yes..." The man looked Loki up and down, "I completely understand. I should have done the same with you when I first heard about that man that took down my foot soldiers single-handedly to find where Angelo was. But never mind that, I will take care of him now."

"His name is Peter." Loki smirked as he opened his hands, his daggers materializing, "And you are a fool if you think you are able to kill me. Many have tried before you, beings much more powerful than you could ever hope to be, and yet none of them succeed. You will be no more than an annoying insect that bit a child under my protection. And for that you will be sorry."

They stood there for a second longer before rushing towards each other. Loki turned his dagger in his hand, the blade parallel with his arm as he swiped it at the man's face while his other dagger thrust forward towards his stomach. Beniamino somehow managed to avoid both of them, moving his body in a way that no elder should. That, however, didn't slow Loki down as one of the daggers disappeared from his hand; now free, he was able to grab the man's head and slam it against the rocks, his other blade stabbing into his back.

"Shame," Loki whispered as he leaned closer, "I had hoped you'd put up more of a fight."

"Don't let your guard down yet, monster."

Loki's eyes narrowed as he went to pull his dagger back - yet it was... stuck... inside of him. Loki's eyes soon widened as the dagger was pulled out of his hand and completely into Beniamino's body. He jumped away just as a barrage of daggers flew out of his back. Loki managed to deflect a few, but the majority of them stabbed into his body.

Beniamino started to chuckled, though ended with a frown as he saw Loki disappear in a flash of green. Glancing around, his eyes widened as he barely had enough time to roll out of the way as Loki reappeared next to him, swinging down an alien spear directly at his neck.

Loki twirled the spear around his arms and neck, blocking attacks while still able to get a few hits in. While this man had agility others his age didn't, he was still just a human that didn't stand a chance. Like the others, Beniamino would soon fall as well.

With a grunt, Loki spun the spear around and slammed it into Beniamino's leg, pinning him to the ground. The old man yelled out, gripping the area tightly as his eyes screwed shut in pain.

"Fear not, elder," Loki smirked as he stood over him, another dagger appearing in his hand, "It will all be over soon."

Loki held his dagger up with one hand, placing his free hand on the man's shoulder to hold him there in case he tried to move. However, as soon as his hand touched the shoulder, Beniamino's body disappeared in a flash of red - much like how Loki's did earlier.

There was a burning sensation in Loki's back, the force behind it slamming him against the wall with a pained grunt. Glancing back, he saw the wisps of fire flickering in the air, Beniamino standing behind it with a wicked smirk on his face.

"You're a Frost Giant, correct? That means you don't like fire..." The old man's entire body lit on fire as he took a step closer to Loki. "That's a shame, because this battle is about to get heated." 

Peter panted as he ran through the halls, his legs aching but pushing through the pain. He called out to any of other teens he saw, ordering them to leave the cave as fast as possible; thankfully they all still believed he was in charge and left. Another think Peter was thankful for was retaining his memories from the past week, meaning he was able to run through the cave and not get hopelessly lost.

A part of him wondered if that meant he could still understand Italian now too, but now was definitely not the time for that.

Or maybe it was...

"Evacuare immediatamente!" He called out as he burst into the dorms, the last room. Everyone stared at him in confusion, causing Peter to sigh and clap his hands. "Affrettarsi, affrettarsi! Evacuare immediatamente!"

That seemed to get everyone moving, some grabbing their things as others just ran for it. Peter started making his way to the private rooms, opening every one to make sure that everyone got the message.

The caves shook suddenly, small and large chunks falling from the walls and ceiling. Peter really hoped everyone would be able to leave before the fight got too intense for this place to handle; the last thing they all needed was all these piles of rocks falling on top of them.

A flash of a memory crossed his mind, still hidden by a bit of fog. Peter couldn't quite place it, but for some reason it made the idea of rocks falling on him nearly unbearable. Doing his best to ignore that thought and the pieces of rocks falling, Peter continued to check all the rooms.

Once he was sure that no one was left, he started to run down the halls again, making sure that the base was absolutely cleared. Only then did he make his way outside with the others.

Everyone had gathered on the cliff above the cave entrance, confused and talking among themselves when Peter climbed up. As soon as they saw him, everyone was immediately asking various questions and voicing their concerns. Peter, who was still struggling with his 'war flashback', now had to deal with sensory overload.

The foreign smells, shaking ground, and loud crowd were becoming too much for him way too fast.

"Q-Quiet... Tranquilla, tranquilla per favore...!"

They weren't listening to him... The ground rumbling fueled their panic as they edged closer to Peter, causing him to take a step back. Any further and they would start going off the cliff and into the water below... This wasn't good.

A loud whistle brought everyone's attention to focus on the back, whispers starting to break out as the teenagers parted. Peter narrowed his eyes, his body tensing in preparation for whatever was there. The quiet hum of a machine told him it was Beniamino, and his mind found peace in the sound... But he was still too fogged to connect the dots.

He didn't have to worry for long though, because as soon as the last of the teens parted, Peter knew exactly who it was.

"Mr. Stark...!" Peter ran forward, barely giving Tony time to step out of his Iron-Man suit before launching himself into his arms.

Tony stumbled back slightly, his arms wrapping around the kid. "Welcome back to the grid, kid."

"Took you long enough to find me."

"Hey," Tony chuckled, pulling away, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a single man just from his first name? Not to mention having to track Loki down as well, he wasn't exactly a team player in all of this."

"Loki!" Peter's eyes widened, looking back toward the cliff. "He's fighting Beniamino by himself! We have to go help him, Beniamino's dangerous! That's why the ground keeps shaking; they're fighting so hard that they could make the caves collapse!"

"Peter, Peter, listen," Tony held his shoulders, looking directly into his eyes and not continuing until he had Peter's full attention. "I need you to breath; you've been borderline hyperventilating this whole time. Loki will be fine, he's fought worse people before. Right now, we need to help these kids. We need to get them on the Quin jet, okay?"

Peter glanced at all the teens that were staring at them, slowly nodding in agreement. "Yeah... Yeah, okay. Then we go help Loki."

"Of course."

As they walked over to the jet on the other side of the field, Peter's eyes squinted slightly at the aircraft before looking around at the teens again. "Hey, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah?"

"...I think we're going to need a bigger jet."

Looking back at the group and jet, Tony nodded slowly. "Pete, you are absolutely right." 

Loki glared at Beniamino, holding his burnt side as he panted. What Loki thought would be an easy win turned into much more of a challenge once the man discovered Loki's hatred of fire. He was able to dodge a considerable amount of the fire, though not nearly enough... He hated to admit it, but Loki would probably a lot of time to recover after this.

"I will commend you," Beniamino announced, the fire swirling around his hands now. "My opponents are normally dead by now, you must truly value Angelo."

Loki didn't bother to respond as he threw three knives at him, jumping to the side to avoid another blast of fire.

"Can I tell you something? I think you would enjoy this information..." He chuckled, a twisted smirk lining his face. The expression was just enough to make Loki curious, holding back his next round of attacks. "All of those children... Every single one of them... They are mine. I am the one that brought them all back to life; I am the one that programmed their minds into believing they belonged here. With just a few words, I can control them all and bring them down here to kill you for me. Wouldn't that be nice? Being killed by the hands of my Angelo would be very entertaining... He seems to value you as well; maybe I will make him watch as he kills you...? Such a trauma would surely break him, making it easier for me to control his mind afterward. Wouldn't that be great?"

They stared at each other for some time before Beniamino's body lit on fire again just as Loki's disappeared. "You should learn by now-"

The man's words were cut off as Loki reached through the fire, his arm blue and coated in a steadily growing ice-glove, grabbing him by the shoulder and throwing him across the hall. His body slammed against the rocky wall, creating an indent as the fire flickered out.

"If you dare even think of hurting that boy anymore than you already have, I will see to it that you regret the day you were born."

Another Loki appeared next to him, grabbing him with both hands and pulling him against the wall with his feet dangling below. "Your first mistake was mentioning Peter, I don't particularly care for that. But then you started bragging about the pain you could cause him..." Loki shook his head slightly, "I will kill you for that."

The ice on Loki's hands started to travel onto Beniamino, covering his shoulders and chest. He tried to light himself on fire again, but Loki only made the ice travel faster and thicker so that it wouldn't easily melt while also cooling his body to make it even more difficult to light.

Loki could see it in his eyes then. Desperation. Beniamino knew that he had messed up, he knew that he was in trouble... And this was the moment that would count.

He opened his mouth, inhaling and preparing to yell something out, but Loki chuckled and simply slapped a hand over his mouth and put a piece of ice there. "Silly human, did you really think I would allow you to call out and ruin Peter's life? How truly foolish of you."

Loki let go of him, the weight of the ice causing him to crash to the floor. Placing a foot on his side, the mischievous (and angry) god kicked Beniamino down the hall and further inside the cave, "All of this ends here."

After Tony called the others to inform them that he had Peter and about three-hundred other teens, a few stops were made to commandeer enough vehicles to transport everyone to a shelter in the nearest town. Multiple trips were made, but they eventually cleared the area of all the teens.

That took a lot of time and effort out of Peter, as they soon realized that he was the only one that the enhanced would listen to. Even Natasha tried to order a few of them, but they wouldn't have any of it and simply stayed in place until Peter told them otherwise.

That put a lot of attention and pressure on the boy that just wanted to hide in the darkest corner of the Quin Jet, but he shoved all his feelings away and started barking orders to everyone.

It was long and hard, but Peter was finally allowed to go rest on the jet as Tony and Thor went into the cave to get Loki.

They had all just parted, Peter barely able to lean back in his seat when everything started shaking, Nat cursing under her breath as she quickly started the jet and lifted them into the air. Peter jumped from his seat and ran to the cockpit, looking out the windows in shock as the ground started to crumble and collapse.

A loud thud on the jet alerted them to Thor's landing, Iron Man hovering nearby as he watched the scene unfold. But Peter couldn't think about them now... Loki was still down there. Loki was still in the cave and being buried under tons of rocks.

"Loki...!" Peter called, as if that would somehow reach the man. Quickly turning, he started to run for the exit but Natasha grabbed his arm.

"There's nothing you can do for him now... Just keep your fingers crossed he somehow makes it out of that." She whispered, squeezing his arm in reassurance. When Peter gave a slight nod, she let go of him and piloted the jet over to a grassy part of the land that hadn't crumbled away. He was outside as soon as it was safe to open the door, running over to the new cliff and looking into the mass of rubble below.

"Loki!" Peter called, desperately searching for his friend. This couldn't be happening... This really couldn't be happening. He had just gotten his mind back, just remembered everyone...! He couldn't lose one of his best friends now! "Loki! Loki, please...!"

A heavy hand placed itself on Peter's shoulder, the boy's wide eyes looking up to Thor. "Have care, child, my brother has survived worse. It is only a matter of time until he appears again."

"But what if he's hurt?"

"He will live."

Peter's brows furrowed as he looked back down at the rocks below, his fists clenching then loosening as he watched Tony fly down to scan the area with his sensors. Despite what they told him, Peter couldn't help but worry. He needed Loki to be alive; he needed to know for absolute certain that his designated mom-friend would live through this. He couldn't just put it all in blind faith. Faith was hope, and hope could be deadly if it was wrong. And Peter couldn't let this be wrong... He couldn't lose another parental figure. He couldn't!

" _Loki_!"

"No need to shout."

The three standing near the cliff all spun around, Peter's eyes wide as he saw Loki leaning against the jet with a weak but knowing smirk.

Disregarding all sense of pride and dignity, Peter ran towards Loki as he felt the hot tears building in his eyes. He barreled into Loki's chest, his arms wrapping tightly around his middle. He heard the small grunt of pain that Loki gave out, but didn't have time to act on it as Loki's arms wrapped around him as well.

"Don't do that to me again," Peter muttered with a slight pout, his body shaking as he did his best not to cry.

"Ye of little faith," Loki chuckled teasingly, but smiled slightly when Peter remained silent. "I will do my best not to make you think I'm dead again, child. You have my word."

The two of them stood there for a while, both taking in the fact that the other wasn't dead. It wasn't until Peter smelt burnt skin that he noticed Loki was badly hurt and needed medical attention.

They all piled into the jet and headed for the shelter where the other members of the team were waiting; Nat flying, Tony treating Loki (because the ladder did not want his brother anywhere near him when injured), and Thor and Peter watching.

Peter had to stay in Italy for some time afterward, making sure that all the teens were sent home or to the proper places. It wasn't really necessary, everyone had regained their full memories after the death of Beniamino, but Peter's presence made them all feel better; and as much as Peter wanted to go home, he was more than happy to help.

Loki had gotten sick shortly after his fight with Beniamino, the man unable to stand - much less leave his hotel room. Although Peter was strung out from helping all the teens, he still found more than enough time to spend with Loki to make sure he was taken care of.

But once everything had been finished with and Loki was healthy again, they all made their way back to New York. As most of the team members found things to do on the jet, Peter fell asleep in his seat that was right in the middle of Loki and Tony. The two men were convinced that this was the first time the boy had slept at all since rescuing him and did everything in their power to make sure he wasn't awoken.

Watching the boy sleep, Loki had to admit that this whole ordeal put many things into perspective. Peter had somehow managed to get so deeply rooted under Loki's skin that he was willing to track his kidnappers down across the country and destroy multiple things in order to save him. Loki didn't think he would even go that far to save Thor... In truth, there was not another person in the universe that Loki would do such a thing for. It was terrifying and powerful at the same time.

Loki knew right then that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do in order to protect this boy... And everything he went through in this past week proved that.

 **A/N: Wow... this chapter... I will probably never top the word count on this. 12,591 words... What was I thinking?**

 **Since this is a kinda special chapter... I thought I would announce that I have a Ko-Fi now! Ko-Fi is a site where Creators(me) can get small donations from Supporters(you) for the content I make. The minimum amount to give is $3, there is no commitment and sign up is free! On there I will post previews of my chapters to my supporters a few days before I post a chapter (as well as exclusive cosplay pictures occasionally). I may even turn some chapters exclusive for my Ko-Fi supporters only!**

 **My Ko-Fi is in no way obligatory, so please don't think I'm money grubby! Just think of it as a way of saying 'thank you for your stories!' and giving back for all the time I've spent writing. And if you can't give now but want to in the future, you can follow me! It will still give you access to all the things I post there.**

 **For those interested, my user on Ko-Fi is Karmitara. It would really mean a lot to me if you would check it out!**

 **And while on the topic of money, updates may be happening less now. I'm slowly starting a business of making plushies! I create my own patterns, cut the fabric(mainly felt), and sew everything by hand. It takes a few weeks to make one, and I've gotten a few orders in from friends right now... So I would like to concentrate a lot of my efforts on that so I can be a good business person. And then hopefully sometime after that I can open my Etsy store! I have big dreams for the future, so wish me luck!**

 **Blood flow info credit: Parthiban Bala, MBBS, MD (Radiodiagnosis) on Quora. I basically copy and pasted parts of his post, editing slightly for it to fit into the story. I am in no way a medical genius, I just write characters a lot smarter than me.**

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"So why did the cave collapse?" Peter asked, doing his overdue homework on the island table in the Compound's kitchen.

Loki glanced over from the stove where he was making tea, chuckling slightly. "I blew it up."

Peter's eyes widened as he looked up, his pencil sliding across his notebook paper. "You blew it up? Why? What if you hadn't made it out in time?"

"I didn't want anything to be left, in case the old man had a final trick up his sleeve." Loki shrugged as he removed the tea packet from his cup, going to sit across from Peter on the island.

The boy was silent for a while, staring at Loki with a deep in thought expression. Loki was almost anticipating what he would say next, knowing it would be something fun.

Finally, Peter broke the silence as he set his pencil down and looked Loki right in the eyes. "I believe that was a level fifteen on the evil scale."

The trickster blinked once then twice before letting out a small laugh. He had almost forgotten about that 'evil scale' that Peter had come up with when they first met. "Just a fifteen? I had hoped I was a solid twenty."

"It would have been twenty if you had left a trail of bodies across the globe; so you're just at fifteen for now. We'll need to work on lowering it once I stop drowning in school."

Loki took a sip of his tea as he looked away. There was no way he was about to tell Peter that there was indeed a trail of bodies across the globe...


	21. Lokison

**An AU Spidey-Snake story requested by Kal-drxwn on Wattpad! I hope that you enjoy it! I love this idea so much; it was hard for me to stop the story where I did... I could have kept working on this for a long time!**

Peter had to admit, his life was pretty good all things considered. He was a super hero stopping crime and saving lives while somehow managing to be a top student in school; not to forget about his 'internship' at Stark Industries. It was awesome.

Despite finding out that his whole childhood was a lie via a freak accident, forcing May to come clean with him, Peter felt as if he was still winning in life. He could live with what he found out and, in a way, it made sense.

But then the Asgardians came to Earth.

To the Compound, more specifically.

They weren't going to stay there permanently, just until they were able to find a place to settle and set up houses for everyone to live in. Meaning for a few months... the Compound was at maximum occupancy and completely full of life.

And Peter had to admit, things got a little awkward after that - for him at least. He knew that Thor would return one day, which was fine! Peter had always wanted to meet the golden man! It was that Loki had come back with him that put Peter on edge... Thor claimed that Loki was a changed man, much better than what he was before and that people could trust him now. Peter wanted to believe him... He wanted to go over and greet Loki like the rest of them were doing. But instead he stayed in the back of the room and slipped out the door once introductions were over.

A month ago, Peter would have been so excited to meet the two of them. He was such a big fan of Thor, and anyone could see Loki's charm even from a distance! Being friends with them would be... awesome.

But he knew the truth about his family's involvement with Loki and he just couldn't face that right now. He would rather take on Flash and the Vulture within the same hour than this.

A part of him wondered if the two alien gods knew about him... If they did, they certainly didn't care- No, no; he couldn't push that on them! They were amazing and nice and probably didn't know.

And they wouldn't know. Peter would make sure that they never found out. If anyone knew the truth, it would create so many problems and probably a lot of arguments and fighting and Peter really didn't want to be the cause for another break in the Avengers.

"You're that spider-child," A smooth voice said from behind him, causing Peter to jump. He spun around to see Loki standing there, a small smirk as he looked Peter up and down. "I have to say, I almost didn't recognize you without the suit. Was that one of Stark's designs?"

Opening and closing his mouth for a second longer than he was proud of, Peter cleared his throat and shook his head. "Yes- no! I mean, kinda? I came up with the original design, he just... improved it."

Loki nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "I see... Do you know what else I see?"

Peter gulped, not trusting his voice as he shook his head.

"I see you, child." Loki leaned closer, "You're always watching Thor and I with a very strange look, one I would almost name guilt. But that can't be, what would you have to be guilty over that involved us?"

This wasn't good... This was definitely not good. Peter's heart was beating too fast, he couldn't think. What was he supposed to say to that? There was nothing to say! The gig was up; Loki knew! Of course he knew! Only an idiot wouldn't know! Peter was the idiot for thinking that Loki wouldn't figure it out!

"Brother, there you are!" A rough but happy voice called from down the hall, Thor smiling brightly as he walked over. "Ah, I see you've found young Peter! Great!"

They both knew. Oh dear God they both knew!

"H-hi..." He almost cursed as his voice cracked; he was supposed to be out of puberty!

Thor seemed more amused by it though, his smile growing even larger. "Stark asked us to find you, there is a mission he wants you to take part in."

Almost immediately, Peter's eyes brightened as his back straightened from a hunch he hadn't realized he'd gone in. "Really? That's awesome! Thanks, Mr. God-Thor, sir!"

As he ran to find Mr. Stark, Peter heard Thor commenting to Loki about how nice he was and that Loki shouldn't try to scare him. It made Peter feel slightly bad about avoiding them for so long... Maybe he could be friend with them?

And he tried; Peter really tried to be friends with them. Thor was easy enough to get along with, just give the man food and he would consider you his friend for life. But things were still tense with Loki... Both of them had their guards' way up around each other, and Peter could honestly say he wasn't surprised about that at all.

But then one night, Peter was stuck in a dream - a nightmare. Try as he might, he couldn't wake himself up. It was horrifying and painful and Peter needed to wake up, he needed to know that it was a dream and that his friends were still alive! He needed to know that they were alive and he hadn't killed them! But he couldn't.

It took what seemed to be forever to break free of the dream's icy grip, leaving Peter gasping for air and clutching at his freezing chest. His breath came out in white puffs in front of his face, which was strange... Until he looked around his room and saw the ice that covered the floor and walls, frost all over his bed.

Terrified of bringing that dream into real life, he threw his blanket off and got out of bed as quickly as he could - making sure to avoid looking at himself in the mirror as he went to his door.

He tried to control his heavy breaths as he made his way into the kitchen, confident that it was early enough in the morning that no one else would be going there any time soon. If Peter got something to drink - something warm, like hot chocolate - then he should calm down.

Just as he entered the dark kitchen, Peter stopped short and looked around with furrowed brows. Someone else was in here-

"Holy shi-!" Peter jumped and nearly stuck to the side of the fridge when he saw Loki standing next to the stove, slowly stirring something in a cup.

"Careful, you will call Rogers in here with that kind of language," Loki chuckled as the boy slowly relaxed.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm his racing heart, Peter muttered, "That's the last thing I need right now..."

Loki raised an eyebrow at him, tilting his head slightly, "Shouldn't you be asleep, child? Correct me if I'm wrong - I've only been here a week after all - but I don't believe it's normal for you to be sneaking through the Compound..."

Peter stiffed slightly but sent a weak glare to the man, "I'm not a child, I'm fifteen. And I wasn't sneaking, I was just... I don't want anyone to know I'm awake right now."

Taking a sip of what was in the cup, Loki chuckled. "Whatever you say..."

An awkward silence fell over them for a while as Peter shuffled his feet, staring at the floor or wall or anywhere that wasn't in Loki's direction. He should probably have thought of something to say, they were both awake at this time and alone so this might be Peter's only chance to have an actual conversation with the man...

But then Loki placed his spoon in the sink and started walking out the other door, the chance for conversation quickly leaving with him.

"U-Um, wait...!" Peter called, taking a step forward. He soon cursed himself though because he didn't have anything to continue with... Loki stopped though and looked at him expectantly, making Peter blurt out the first thing that came to him - which unfortunately was his dream. "Have you ever been scared of yourself? Uh, I mean... Have you ever wondered if maybe you could hurt someone you care about when you really don't want to? I know that seems stupid, how could you hurt someone if you don't want to? But that's possible right? Have you ever... Ah, never mind, forget I said anything. That's a stupid question."

Peter rushed to the stove after pulling the milk carton out of the fridge, his eyes focused solely on his work as he tried his best to ignore the stare of Loki as he poured milk into a pot and placed it on the burner.

Loki watched the child with a very confused but interested expression. Of all the people to ask that question to, he asked Loki. Was he just reaching out to find comfort from a bad dream, or really wanting to talk, Loki couldn't say for sure... But something about it made him stay.

"It's possible," Loki said quietly, causing Peter to turn back to him with wide eyes. "You can hurt those you care about if you aren't careful, it happens all the time."

"I see..." Peter looked down at the stove. "I really don't want to hurt anyone though..."

Loki took a breath as he slowly nodded, "One can't always help themselves. But there are ways to prevent it."

Peter looked up, his eyes hopeful, "Really? What are they?"

"Finish your drink and meet me in the sitting room, then I will tell you."

A small smile made its way onto Peter's face as he nodded, turning back to finish making the hot chocolate as Loki left. His hands were shaking slightly as he poured the heated milk into a mug, he didn't know if it was from the nightmare or excitement of talking with Loki... He was going to say excitement though; it was a much better feeling than the leftover traces of fear.

Once he had finished mixing his drink, he went into the living room where Loki was sitting, a single lamp turned on and a book in his hand as he drank what Peter assumed was tea. He looked so cool... Perfect hair in a designer suit, holding a book with one hand with the light illuminating him just in the right places. Peter was honestly jealous.

The book disappeared in a flash as Loki looked up at him, nodding slightly to the seat across from him. Peter rushed in carefully, trying his best not to spill his hot chocolate as he took the chair Loki indicated.

He was almost embarrassed by how eager he was to talk with Loki, but he was able to ignore that embarrassment as soon as Loki started talking. Peter had always expected Loki to be wise and kinda all-knowing, but he was surprised to find how gentle and understanding he was as well.

Loki had figured out it was a nightmare that set Peter on edge and admitted to having ones like that as well; while neither of them wished to give details of their vivid dreams, they both formed a slight bond over the knowledge that they weren't alone. It was comforting in a way that Peter didn't think possible.

And when Peter had that same dream and woke up with his room frosted again the next night, he went to the kitchen to find Loki already there and with two cups of warm drinks for them and another night of talking in the living room.

It was pleasantly surprising to witness this side of Loki... Peter had grown up hearing only the bad about him; how Loki was evil for what he did in New York, or that he was a cold-hearted trickster that didn't care for anyone... Peter was willing to bet none of those people would ever expect the alien god to make hot chocolate and listen to a teenage boy ramble about his problems.

It felt good to talk with him as well. Loki was an amazing listener and would occasionally ask a follow up question afterward. It caused a strange sense of pride to swell in him, because Peter had witnessed Loki cutting off Thor and Mr. Stark multiple times in the past, but he never stopped Peter from talking. It was like he had special privileges!

And when Peter returned the following weekend, he was worried that things would have gone back to the way before... But Loki greeted him with a small smirk as everyone gathered in the living room for movie night.

Their bond grew even more after that, much to Peter's excitement. He had run into Loki while on patrol one night and the man had decided to join him in stopping a bank robbery. Afterward, more often than not, Loki was with Peter on patrols.

They became personal therapists for each other; Loki had quite a bit of trouble when it came to dealing with whiny humans that he couldn't stab and Peter would help him control his anger - or help him take it out on random object in abandoned buildings. In turn, whenever Peter was troubled or upset, Loki was there to listen and offer advice in the best way he could - which normally involved stabbing Flash or pranking someone with a knife... Peter still had much to do in teaching Loki about what was acceptable behavior for humans.

The Avengers even noticed the growing bond between the two and - with much persuasion on Tony - let the two of them go on a mission together in Brazil to retrieve an alien artifact from a temple.

"This is gonna be awesome...!" Peter said as the two of them boarded the Quin Jet.

Loki chuckled quietly at his enthusiasm as he went to the cockpit, "As long as the temple guardians don't kill us, sure."

Peter paused for a second, blinking a few times as he tried to process that. "Temple guardians?"

"Of course, don't your temples here have guards around them?"

Peter thought about it and frowned slightly, "Probably... Aw man, we're going to be stealing from them, then?"

"It's for the best," Loki smirked as he powered the jet, beginning to fly off. "A human wouldn't be able to resist the power contained in this artifact, and their minds would crumble if they tried to wield it. So by robbing them, we are saving them."

The boy couldn't argue with that logic as he dropped into one of the seats. He really didn't want to steal from these people, but he didn't want anyone to get hurt when he could prevent it. So the good he was doing was going to cancel out the bad.

Sneaking a glance over at Loki as he hit buttons on the dash, Peter smiled a bit. He was bouncing with excitement when the others told him about this mission, and they passed it off as the boy simply being happy to leave the country again... But Peter was even happier to be doing this with Loki. Peter had always had a... _connection_ with the man, albeit slightly unwanted in the beginning it was definitely welcomed now. Getting to know more about Loki and spending time with him was so fulfilling in a way that Peter didn't know he needed.

Growing up after the Battle of New York, Peter had only heard bad things about Loki and how he was a menace. After finding out about his family's connection with him, Peter didn't know how to react and felt as if everything was just as much his fault as it was Loki's. But after they started hanging out and getting to know about each other, it was like everything was magically better. All the insults about Loki that Peter felt had been directed at him no longer hurt (though he was prepared to argue with anyone that now said Loki was evil), and his nightmares were gone now as well. He was back to winning in life.

Taking one last glance at Loki, Peter leaned back in his seat and settled in. It was ridiculously early in the morning and they had a somewhat short flight ahead of them, Peter wanted to get just a little more sleep in.

As he closed his eyes, Loki turned back in his chair to look at him. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something about the boy that seemed familiar... Perhaps that was why he decided to trust him so quickly? It was rough at first, sure; it normally took Loki much longer before he decided to spend so much time with a person. He grew up with Thor and could barely stand him for more than an hour, for heaven's sake! Not to mention letting this child talk on and on about his life and the smallest of things...! Absolutely unheard of.

But strangely enough, he didn't hate it. He actually found his time with Peter quite enjoyable.

The flight had taken a little less than an hour, Loki calling to Peter as they started their descent into a clearing. The boy woke up with a jump, nearly causing Loki to laugh.

"I'm awake!"

"Good, we will be landing shortly so I suggest you collect yourself and get ready. We have to walk a ways to reach the temple."

Peter nodded as he hopped in place, stretching a bit. He was one of the few people on Earth blessed with the ability to wake up energized and in a good mood, and he would fully take advantage of that.

Once the doors to the jet were opened though, Peter was hit with a wave of sensory overload. While the inside of the jet was normally quiet and dark, outside in the Brazilian forest was the complete opposite. The sun was already high and bright despite the early time of morning; bugs, birds, and animals galore were screaming out the songs of their people and Peter was fairly certain he heard a waterfall nearby as well, and the smells... Oh God the millions of smells...

"Peter?"

Shaking his head slightly, Peter looked over to Loki; the man had an eyebrow raised as he waited on the ground for Peter to join him.

"Yeah, sorry! I'm coming!" Tugging his mask on, Peter jumped off the ramp and started walking ahead. He was so glad that Mr. Stark had added some built-in precautions for his mask, or he would be in so much trouble right now...

Looking around as they walked, Peter took in the muffled sounds of the wildlife. It was so much different than what he heard in the city, even when he went to the zoo once on a field trip! It was peaceful, calming... Well, calming until something set his spidey-sense off and he was sent on full alert.

"Something wrong?" Loki asked, an eyebrow raised as he watched Peter nervously shuffle forward.

"Uh... Maybe? Something bad is around here but I can't tell what it is."

Loki glanced around, his eyes carefully scanning across the area. He lingered on a particularly large bush, then moved on ahead. "It was probably a snake in a tree, nothing to worry about."

Peter felt like he was missing out on something, glancing at the bush that Loki was staring at for a second before realizing that the man was walking away without him. "Hey, Loki! Wait up!"

It wasn't a long walk to the temple but Peter was still getting the feeling that something was wrong, that feeling in the back of his neck annoying him to no end and making him jump at every little thing. When they arrived at the temple though, Peter's awe soon blocked out any danger warnings.

It was like they had just walked into part of El Dorado... The temple was extremely advanced for how old it was, but what captivated Peter was that it seemed to be made of pure gold. Every surface of it - even the pathway leading to it - was golden and shining in the sun.

"This is a Sovereign temple..." Loki commented, looking around with a slightly interested expression. "I wasn't aware they had ever come to Earth. They don't normally associate themselves with beings who they believe are lower than them, especially considering the time this was built."

Peter nodded along as he took everything in with a wide smile - that quickly dropped when he saw the stairs.

"This is an advanced alien temple; couldn't they have put an elevator in or something?"

Loki chuckled as he began to climb them, "I'm surprised they even put stairs for us."

Peter groaned as he reluctantly started climbing as well, muttering under his breath the whole way. The climb didn't really bother him; he wasn't even winded when they reached the top. It was really just the idea of climbing... Probably a human thing.

The inside of the temple was much like the outside, completely gold and absolutely stunning. There were many different paths leading in various directions that Peter knew would leave him hopelessly lost if Loki wasn't here - assuming that Loki knew where to go.

"Since this is a Sovereign temple," Loki started, taking the second path to the left, "the artifact we're looking for is most likely the Anulax Batteries."

Peter blinked at the man, his head tilting slightly. "Wait... We flew all the way to the middle of Brazil for a battery?"

"Powerful batteries, it's what keeps their planet alive."

"A battery that- Never mind." Peter chuckled, shaking his head.

They kept walking for a while; taking different turns now and then that Peter wasn't entirely convinced were planned. Everything seemed random... But this was Loki, and if Peter had learned anything in the short time he knew the man, there was nothing random about him.

Now that he thought about it, it was honestly strange how quickly the two of them bonded. It had basically happened overnight... They were wary of each other all day, then suddenly they were listening to each other's problems that night. How was that even possible? Becoming this close with someone was supposed to take time, wasn't it? It took them only a few weeks to become nearly inseparable!

Peter couldn't help but wonder if their bond grew so quickly because of his family's connection with the alien god... It was a possibility. After all, Loki still didn't get alone with Mr. Stark and the other Avengers - even Thor sometimes! It gave Peter hope that maybe - just maybe - he would be able to tell Loki.

Loki's back suddenly filled Peter's vision, causing the boy to stop abruptly before he ran into Loki. Leaning to the side slightly, Peter saw they had come into a large dome-like room with a pedestal in the exact middle of it. On the pedestal was a round... thing... with golden glowing things around it.

"Is that the battery?"

"Batteries; each glowing cylinder is a battery," Loki informed him, Peter nodding along. "This is a small amount, normally there are a lot more. It's understandable though - they're powering a temple, not a planet."

They started walking to the batteries, Peter much slower than Loki as he looked around. That bad feeling he was ignoring since seeing the temple was back with a vengeance, putting him on edge as he crept closer to Loki.

"Hey, I think something-"

" _Ah_...!"

Peter quickly turned around to see Loki holding his shoulder, smoke rising from the area as the sickening smell of burnt skin filled the air. "Loki!"

"Don't-!" Loki held out his good arm, shaking his head just before a laser blast from the ceiling hit him dead in the back. Peter's eyes widened as he watched Loki's body fall to the ground, disbelief clear on his face as he took a small step forward and tugged his mask off.

"Crimes against us are worthy of death," A voice announced from behind him, Peter wheeling around to see two men that matched the walls with their golden ...everything. "He was stealing our batteries, so he had to die."

"We didn't know you would be here though! We thought that humans would try and steal them! If you would have just asked before attacking-"

"If you would have asked before stealing, your friend might still be alive."

Peter looked back at Loki's motionless form, his chest turning cold as his breathing started to go erratic. Loki couldn't be dead... There was absolutely no way that Loki was dead. He was just knocked out, and the golden people thought he was dead. That had to be it!

"You..." One of them started, though Peter didn't bother to look back at them. "You aren't human... Not fully. Ah, I see now why you are so attached to him. Your human half is in mourning. Fear not, you will be joining him soon; just like the rest of your kind on this planet."

The quiet hum of the ceiling lasers alerted Peter to them powering up, but his eyes were still on Loki, quietly begging him to get up.

"So that's your plan," A familiar voice announced, catching everyone's attention. They all turned to see Loki standing behind the men with a smirk - and holding the batteries. "You plan to kill off all the humans? For what? This planet hardly suits your needs, there's no way you would inhabit it. So why do you want to kill the humans?"

"It does not concern you, Asgardian."

The humming of the laser became louder, Peter started panicking as the cold in his chest grew harsher. "Loki...!" He called as the gold beam fired at the man, who disappeared in a flash of green and reappeared a few feet in front of Peter.

Loki felt a small hint of concern for Peter and wanted to wrap this fight up quickly. He heard the way the Sovereign had mentioned him not being human (which somewhat made sense, Peter had enhanced abilities that could confuse them), but since the boy saw his illusion of being dead, he was growing paler and more stiff. If the Sovereign tried to attack Peter at this time, the boy wouldn't be able to defend himself properly.

He watched with dark eyes and a wicked smirk as one of the men in front of him pulled out a gun. This would be over with quickly.

"Stop!" Peter yelled from behind him, a strangely familiar cracking sound following the voice and startling all three men. As Loki turned to see what it was, his eyes widened as he barely got out of the way of an ice blast. He watched as the ice crossed the ground and surrounded their opponents, encasing them in a frozen prison. Eyes still wide, Loki looked back to search for where the attack came from. But Loki stopped short as he took in Peter's appearance.

While he was still wearing his Spider-Man suit, his face was fully visible and showing the blue skin and red eyes that Peter should definitely not have... Blue markings a shade or two darker than his skin tone lined Peter's cheeks, forehead, and chin; forming designs and meanings that Loki knew a Midgardian would never understand.

"Peter...?" Loki's brows furrowed as he took a step closer, the boy jumping back and shaking his head.

"N-no! Stop, don't come any closer!" Peter's eyes were wide and breathing uneven, he was too close to a full panic as he slowly backed further away and stared at his hands.

"What is happening, child? Why are you...?" Loki left the question open, ignoring Peter's plea and taking another step to him.

"I said _stop_!" Peter threw his hands out in front of him, a wave of ice spears hurling towards Loki. The man hesitated slightly, but didn't need to do anything as the ice exploded before even reaching him. He looked up to see Peter's horrified expression as his feet shuffled back.

"Peter..." The Anulax Batteries disappeared in a flash of green light as Loki held his hands out, taking another slow step to the boy. "Calm down, child..."

Before he knew it, Peter was running out of the temple as fast as he could, jumping over him and out the door. Loki cursed under his breath as he ran after him.

"Peter! Stop!"

Ice was filling the halls after Peter, the cold surface making the floors dangerously slippery. But Loki didn't have any trouble as he caught up with him, reaching a hand out to grab his arm. Just before he could though, the two of them exited the temple and into the direct sunlight.

Peter yelled out in pain as he felt the sun against his blue skin, Loki quickly grabbing him and tugging him back into the shade of the temple.

"Take a deep breath," The man instructed, holding Peter's chin in his grasp as he brushed a thumb along the slightly burnt skin on his cheek. "Just breathe, it'll go away soon."

"No, it won't...!" Peter shook his head and pulled away, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the ground. "No matter what I do, it always comes back! Every time I try to go to sleep or panic or just when I'm upset, I end up like this and I almost hurt May at first! It's only a matter of time until I do hurt someone really badly! I'm dangerous! I'm - "

"Quiet." Almost as if those were the magic words, Peter stopped talking and looked up at the man. Loki's arms were crossed as he gazed down at Peter with an unreadable expression that nearly made him look away again. "You're part Frost Giant..."

Nodding slowly, Peter let his eyes drift.

Loki's eyes scanned his face, reading the blue markings as his own heart seemed to beat faster with each line. "Peter... How old are you?"

It was quiet for a while, Loki almost about to ask again when the boy finally spoke. "Fifteen."

Flashbacks of Loki's first time on Midgard ran through his head, a night he had long buried in his memories coming back to him. A low groan left him as he leaned against the wall opposite from Peter and placed a hand on his forehead. "You knew... That's why you were always watching Thor and I at first. Why didn't you tell me?"

"How was I supposed to do that? Just go up to you that first day you came to Earth and go 'hey, dad! I'm the son you didn't know existed, good to finally meet you!'? Yeah, that would have worked out really well..."

"No...! But afterward-"

"I was scared!" Peter's voice broke as he hugged his knees to his chest. "I was scared... I wanted to tell you, but what if you didn't want me? What happens when you leave with Mr. Thor and the rest of the Asgardians to your new town? What if you thought it was just a joke and didn't want to be friends anymore?

"All my life, I thought I was human; I thought I was normal. Then May and Ben freaked out when you showed up in New York because they thought you were there for me, and everyone started saying how horrible you were, and I grew up thinking you were a bad person... But then I blew up the apartment one day; I was stressed and got into an argument with May and - and I don't know what happened. I started feeling cold and weird and then next thing I knew ice was coming out of me...! I looked up and there was this huge icicle in the wall right next to May's head... I completely destroyed my room. It took so long for her to calm me down, but she finally told me about you and my mom.

"Suddenly, every insult directed at you in school was also directed at me. We didn't know why you came to New York except to tear the city apart. I thought you could have been looking for me, that I was the reason so many people died... I thought I was a monster." His voice cracked again as he shook his head, fighting off the tears.

"But then Thor showed up and said that you were different now; that New York wasn't your fault and you were being controlled by someone else then. He said you had changed... I wanted to believe that you were good; I wanted to talk with you and maybe hope that you would know about me. But you had no reaction to me. There were so many times I thought you would say something... So many times... But it never happened.

"And then I had that nightmare at the Compound; I had killed everyone, froze them all and left their bodies in a huge pile. They called me a monster... When I woke up, my room was frozen. That's why I went to the kitchen - I needed to get out of there, I needed to know I wasn't a monster. And you helped me with that...! We started talking and getting closer and I was so happy...! I knew then that you had no idea who I was, and I was okay with that. I was okay with just being your annoying younger friend.

"But now you know... and everything is going to change. And I don't know how I feel about that. I liked being friends with you and hanging out and showing you Earth food and stopping bad guys and-"

"Peter," Loki interrupted, taking a deep breath. He was silent the whole time Peter spoke, taking in each word carefully and processing it slowly. It all made sense now, why he had bonded with the child so quickly. But he would be lying if he said he wasn't angry. "Listen to me carefully, child, I will only say this once: your heritage does not define who you are. I am a monster - don't deny it. I have attempted to kill Thor long before I was under the influence that lead to New York. But you, Peter, are no monster. You are more pure and righteous than that oaf, Thor - not an easy task. You are dangerous only because you are untrained, which can easily be fixed.

"You are correct, I had no idea you existed. But that does not give you the excuse to shoulder accusations that were meant for me. Unless they directly say your name, those insults are not meant for you - and if they did include your name, I will kill them.

"And you are right to think that things will change, but not by much. You... are my child, meaning that your welfare is now my responsibility. I will teach you how to control your abilities so that this won't happen again."

"But you're going to be leaving soon-"

"Nonsense," Loki waved his hand dismissively as he stood up straight, "I can come and go as I please, just because I arrived with Thor does not mean I am tied to him by the hip. Gaining control of your powers is much more important. I would also like to speak with your aunt as well... I have met her before; I wish to know why she didn't tell me about this herself."

A small smirk was on his face as he looked down at Peter, offering a hand to him. "Come along, we have a lot of work to do."

Peter stared at him for a second, his eyes moving from Loki's face to his hand. A smile started growing as he grabbed Loki's hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.

While the process was horrifying and embarrassing, it felt good to have this secret off of his chest. And Loki seemed happy to know as well, so it was truly a win-win.

 **A/N: I have honestly never thought of this idea before... In the entire year I've been writing for Loki and Peter, it never crossed my mind to do a biological family pairing between them. And I hate myself for it. I love this idea so much! Thank you for giving me this request! I honestly want to write a longer story with this, making a better timeline and having multiple chapters and all of that!**

"Thor," Loki called, walking into the large man's room, "I have someone I want you to meet."

Thor, who was sitting on his bed with a game controller aimed at his TV, looked up and stopped whatever ridiculous game he was playing with a smirk. "Has my brother finally found himself someone?"

Loki simply chuckled as he motioned to the door, Peter soon stepping into view. Thor blinked before squinting his eyes, glancing between the two of them. "I don't understand... That's-"

"Peter Lokison," Loki smirked, placing a hand on Peter's shoulders, "My child."

Thor's face went expressionless for a second, simply staring at the two for a long while. Peter started fidgeting as he glanced up at Loki, "I think we broke him..."

"Give it a second."

Sure enough, Thor was soon moving again, taking a deep breath as he stood up. " _Loki_..."

"We should run now," Loki chuckled as he quickly pushed Peter out the room, following close behind him as Thor's thunderous footsteps were heard coming after them.

The two started laughing as they ran, Thor yelling at Loki for being reckless and hiding his nephew from him. Peter had to admit, it was going to be interesting being related to these two...

But he wouldn't give it up for anything.


	22. Not Your Fault

Of all the things to kill an Avenger... After everything they had all gone through... He was taken out by a car accident.

A hit-and-run of all things killed Tony Stark.

And it was Peter's fault.

If Peter had moved faster to save that little girl, then Mr. Stark wouldn't have felt the need to push them both out of the way - sans his iron suit. He should have just left them; Peter would have been able to survive a hit by a diesel truck! He could have tossed the girl to Mr. Stark and taken the hit like he was supposed to!

But Tony just had to play the sacrifice card...

Peter could still vividly remember the moment that Mr. Stark had stopped moving in the middle of the road as they waited for paramedics; the moment that no matter how much Peter screamed, Mr. Stark wasn't coming back to him.

He withdrew from everyone after that. Some of the Avengers had tried to call him but he had just turned his phone off... He didn't want to talk with anyone, May and Ned included. It wasn't fair to anyone, but he just couldn't deal with their sympathetic looks and voices then... He really couldn't! The moment that May had arrived at the hospital and first gave Peter that look, he had bolted to the nearest exit - a window on the third floor.

Pulling his hoodie up, Peter swung through the city as fast as he could, trying to get away from his feelings. He wanted to be empty right now, he wanted to feel the wind rushing against him as he moved, wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline as he free-fell.

But no matter how fast he swung or how far he fell, he couldn't get away from his emotions and those traitorous hot tears ran down his face against his will.

He was the reason Tony Stark was dead. It was as if he had put his hands around his throat and killed him himself...!

A week had passed before it was time for the funeral, the first time any of them had seen Peter since the accident. May was almost convinced that he wouldn't show up, and she had a right mind to scold him for disappearing if he did.

No one had seen him enter, or no one had cared to watch for him, but he was suddenly there among the crowd and fighting off tears as Pepper gave her speech about him. Steve and Natasha had both tried to go to him once the service was over, but Peter had disappeared as suddenly as he had come.

Another two weeks had gone by with still no word from Peter or sightings of Spider-Man; the two had completely dropped off the map. Just as Peter wanted. He wanted to be alone; he wanted his time to grieve. That was normal and respectable, right? He had just lost a father figure and dear friend, couldn't people understand that?

Taking a deep breath, Peter closed his eyes as his fists clenched. No one understood that...

"Everyone is worried, you know."

"Leave me alone."

Footsteps clicked against the roof behind him as Loki came to stand next to Peter at the edge, looking out at the city. "Your aunt keeps coming to me in tears because she worries so much. At least text her."

Peter's jaw clenched as he started to turn away, more than prepared to swing to solitude somewhere else. Loki grabbed his upper arm though, keeping him in place. In a reflex move, Peter grabbed Loki's wrist and glared at the man, "I said, leave me _alone_."

"What? Are you going to snap my wrist if I don't?"

"No!"

"Then I will not let you go off on your own again, it's not safe for you-"

"Safe? I'm an enhanced superhero; I think I can take care of myself!"

Loki sighed as he fought to hold back an eye roll, "You are emotionally unstable, _child_. You are not safe to yourself right now. When was the last time you ate? Slept? I bet you haven't even showered since the funeral."

"None of that matters-"

"Stark wouldn't want this."

"Don't tell me what he would or wouldn't want!" Peter yelled, yanking his arm free and stumbling away from Loki. "This is what I want! Me, my wish! This is what I deserve! Does anyone care about what I want? No, because if anyone did then _he_ wouldn't be _gone_!"

It was silent for a while, Loki staring at Peter with narrowed eyes as he tried his best not to break down and cry. His stiff posture and averted eyes telling Loki things he didn't want to believe.

"You..." Loki started, "You blame yourself...?"

Peter's breath caught in his throat as he turned away, "That truck was meant for me...! It was headed straight for me and I froze...! If I would have moved a little faster, maybe I could have thrown that girl to safety and Mr. Stark would have had to hold her instead of jumping for me...! I could survive being hit by a truck, I'm enhanced and gone through much worse! I could have survived that... But he moved before I could." Peter sniffled and rubbed a fist roughly against his eye, "And no matter what you say, it won't change a thing. It's my fault that he died. And everyone knows it."

Loki's brows furrowed together as his head tilted slightly, leaning forward just a bit. "Everyone knows it? Who is 'everyone'? Because last I checked, none of the Avengers do. They blame the truck driver who was texting and not paying attention to the red light he was running through, not you. As I said before, everyone is _worried_ about you. They haven't heard from you in weeks, they're concerned about your welfare."

"And you?" Peter glanced back at him, "You're not 'concerned about my welfare'?"

A grim smirk pulled on Loki's lips, "I know all about your welfare, child. Did you honestly think I would leave you alone out here for three weeks?"

Peter's eyes narrowed as he turned back to him, an almost betrayed look crossing his face. "You've been watching me?"

A single nod was the only response he received.

"I just want to have time to process my emotions - by myself! Is that too much to ask? I want to work it out _by myself_! Why can't anyone understand that?"

Loki sighed as he slowly shook his head, taking a step closer and opening his arms. "We both know that's not really what you want, Peter."

The boy stared at him with a blank expression for nearly a minute, his body unmoving. Then suddenly he lunged.

Loki was nearly knocked backwards by the force Peter hit him, his small arms wrapping around the man's midsection tightly as he buried his face into Loki's chest, a small sob breaking from him. Loki patted his back gently at first before slowly returning the hug, holding the boy close to him. The front of his black suit had started to become wet with his tears, but Loki paid it no mind as he rubbed his back.

It was awkward for him, having never attempted to comfort someone before... But Loki was willing to push that feeling away at the moment. Peter needed him more than Loki needed a comfort zone.

"I miss him..."

"I know."

"Why did he do that...?"

"...Because the thought of seeing you hit by a truck is more terrifying than having it happen to himself."

"I would have lived..."

Loki's grip tightened ever so slightly, "You don't know that."

The two stayed like that for most of the night, Peter muttering and Loki doing his best to answer comfortingly. Each hour that passed, Peter had leaned more and more into Loki until the man was supporting his full weight. He soon realized that the boy had fallen asleep, an almost-smile making its way to Loki's face as he picked him up and brought him to a hotel for the night.

It still took a few days for Peter to want to go back home, Loki with him the whole time to make sure he ate and slept properly - as well as offering the best comfort that he could. It was hard and long, but there was a sense of hope when Peter fixed them both an omelet without Loki having to even ask if Peter was hungry.

There was still a long way to go before the gaping hole in Peter's chest even remotely stopped hurting, but having Loki by his side was definitely helping him feel less alone...

Glancing up at the man eating across the table from him, Peter smiled a bit. As long as Loki was there, he might actually be able to get through this.

 **AN: No preview of this chapter on Ko-Fi like I said before... In all honestly, I hadn't planned on writing this chapter. I wrote it in an hour in order to get over my own chaotic emotions.**

 **I have three cats: an old man I took from my neglectful neighbors, and my rescued twin girls. Five months ago, there was a bad storm that knocked out the power in my neighborhood and I went driving to see the damage. As I was driving, I saw two little kittens on the side of the road. They had been dropped off in the middle of a storm, what sick person would do that? They were very tame and came to me when I called. They were the sweetest and fluffiest little things you would ever see.**

 **All of my cats have been rescued in some way, and I would form deep bonds with them because of it. Unfortunately I live in the country where there's a lot of wild animals... Like coyote packs that love running in the cold weather.**

 **My mom's cat was taken by the coyotes four days ago.**

 **Tonight... I believe my youngest twin was taken. The pack had just come running through an hour ago in the field that the twins love to play in. I called the cats to come in, and only one twin made it to the door.**

 **I walked the entire yard calling but couldn't find her. She may show up in the morning, I really hope she does. She might have just gotten stuck in a tree or fell asleep in the shed, and I'm going through emotional turmoil for nothing, but right now I'm in mourning for her.**

 **I am working on a Halloween special as well as two other requests, but that special might be a bit late because of this now... I hope you all understand.**


	23. Halloween Special

**A Halloween special requested by Guest on FFN! This theme has actually been pretty popular since I started this book, but someone finally made an official request and I couldn't put it off any longer XD**

 **There's not a whole lot of interaction between them in this chapter... I'm sorry! I really tried my best, but this really gave me a lot of trouble... I hope you enjoy the chapter though!**

 **Also! A huge thank you to everyone that was concerned about my kitten. I have great news! She's back! She came back a few days ago completely covered in mud and a few cuts on her face and ears, she seems a little sick, but there are no big injuries as far as I can tell! I was apparently grieving and being dramatic for nothing! (Fun fact: I was originally going to name her Loki, before I knew she was a girl. This experience makes me really wish I would have kept that name.)**

Peter had to admit, he was a little confused when he arrived to the Compound the weekend before Halloween and didn't see a single decoration up. Ever since the month started, Peter had expected to see at least a couple skeletons hanging from the trees and figured they'd decorate when the holiday came closer. But here they were, five days away from Halloween and absolutely nothing.

With a frown on his face, Peter picked up his backpack and marched inside to find Mr. Stark. This was basically a crime - and Peter had to know why it was committed.

He found the man - along with the others - in the kitchen by the coffee pot, laughing at something Natasha said. His eyes brightened as he saw Peter enter, "Kid, perfect timing! Natasha just - what's wrong?"

All eyes were on Peter as he crossed his arms, "Why are there no decorations up?"

"Decorations?"

"For Halloween! It's in a few days and there's not even a real cobweb here!"

"What's Halloween?"

Peter spun around to look at Loki with wide eyes and mouth open in shock, "You don't know... Mr. Stark! We have to do a Halloween thing now! Loki doesn't know what it is!"

"We can't let trick-or-treaters come here, Peter," Steve said, smiling sympathetically. "And I don't think we could host a party on such short notice..."

"No," Tony shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips, "But we can still decorate and go out. Only if Peter helps us, though. It was your idea, no take backs - all or nothing."

Peter's eyes brightened as he nodded, "Definitely! I can get your costumes and pick out decorations!"

"Wait- That's not-" Tony attempted to reach out to stop him, but Peter was already running back out the room, calling for Thor and Loki to follow him.

The two Norse gods slowly followed after the child, both unsure of what they were getting into but happy to go along with it (Thor was happy, Loki was more... intrigued). Though both became somewhat reluctant when their destination was revealed to be back in the city and they'd have to suffer through an hour car ride together.

"Where exactly are we going, child?" Loki asked as he got into the driver's seat; Thor took his place in the passenger side as Peter hopped into the back.

"A new Halloween store that opened up in Manhattan; I went looking through it with Ned and MJ and it was amazing! Their costumes are surprisingly top notch, and their selection of decorations is _huge_...!"

The entire trip to the city was filled with Peter gushing about the holiday and trying to explain it as best he could... though Loki only ended up dreading it. If this child was left unchecked with a large amount of sugar, he would be able to destroy the world... Peter was already a hyper person, but add a night full of candy into the mix and he would be unstoppable.

That was just what they all needed... Hopefully Peter would decide to go back home to his aunt by then and become her problem.

With their luck however, that was most likely not going to happen...

They arrived at the store - that looked like a decorated warehouse - and Loki sighed at how excited his brother had become. Unlike Loki, Thor saw no downside to having bags of candy and was becoming very eager for this night. It was bonus points for being able to scare people without getting in trouble!

"Thor," Peter called as they entered the building, "You can push the cart, we're gonna get a lot of stuff so it'll get pretty heavy."

"Leave it to me, child!"

Loki smirked as he watched the two; he could point out that Peter had nearly the same amount of strength that Thor did and therefore didn't need someone else to push the basket - but he wasn't going to. He told himself it was because it would be funnier when Thor figured it out on his own; but watching their smiles as they walked through the store did something to the man... He'd never admit that out loud though.

"Okay, we'll start on decorations," Peter said as he looked around at the aisles, wandering with Thor close behind him and Loki dragging after.

"Was it really necessary for both of us to come with you?" Loki asked, flicking a fake skeleton head with his finger.

"Yes! Mr. Thor gets to carry the decorations, and you get to help with the costumes!"

"And what, pray tell, will you be doing?" Loki smirked as Peter paused momentarily to send him a playful glare.

" _I_ will be organizing everything...! I'm basically in charge."

"If you say so."

Peter laughed as he led the way through the store, tossing things into the basket left and right - it was almost completely filled when they finally got to the costumes so Loki was sent to get another. The man protested at first but soon complied when Peter promised to get him a new Shakespeare book (something that Loki had recently gotten hooked on).

Slowly walking down the costume racks, Peter stared at them deep in thought. He would pull one out and look at it for some time before putting it back and moving onto the next. The process went on for quite a bit until he suddenly smiled and pulled out something light blue, then something else in a darker blue, pink, and black.

Loki got a bad feeling when Peter looked at them both with that large smile and tossed the costumes into Loki's basket before going back down the aisle and grabbing more. He would check the sizes briefly before pulling each one off, and Loki did not want to know how Peter knew what size everyone was...

"Are you going to share with us what you plan to put us in?" Loki asked, eyeing the many sparkly items in his cart.

"Nope, that's going to be a surprise!" Peter chuckled as he put another in before moving on. "It'll be fun, don't worry."

"Your type of fun being forced on us is terrifying."

"I'm not forcing it on you!" Peter laughed, "I'm simply giving you no choice but to participate."

Loki would have started to argue but shook his head instead, figuring there was no point to it when the boy was this excited. Seeing Peter laughing as the three of them went around the store was entertaining in its own way...

After they got everything they needed and checked out using one of Tony's cards, they headed back to the Compound so that they could immediately start setting up the decorations upon Peter's request.

Loki had to admit, it wasn't so bad to decorate... He wouldn't do it by his own free will, but it was still interesting to see how these Midgardians prepared to celebrate their holidays. He had witnessed a few before, but those had seemed so pure compared to this. Bright lights, stunning colors, happy music, cheerful people... He had thought all holidays were like that. But this, Loki looked at a fake skeleton with a chuckle, seemed much more sinister and far from the happiness he had come to associate with Midgardians.

Thinking back to shortly after he came to Earth, and long before he cared of the Midgardian customs, Loki could faintly remember this happening before. It was one of his first memories of Peter... The boy had on some ridiculous costume as he ran through the yard looking for Stark, tripping over nothing in his haste and giving Loki something to smile at. It reminded Loki a lot of when Thor first started wearing a cape, his brother tripping on it nearly every time he took a step. It was hilarious.

Then a thought hit him... Peter had said they were going to dress up for this holiday, did that mean they would all be wearing something ridiculous? It couldn't have been anything worse than what Thor had put him through in the past, but Peter could definitely have a chance of coming close... That thought did not bode well with him.

The days ticked by slowly, Peter coming to the Compound and isolating various Avengers to speak in private with. Loki had no idea what they were talking about because Peter didn't do that with him, only speaking with the man when they would run into each other in the halls. Loki did notice that each Avenger that Peter seemed to corner always had something different about them when the boy left... He just couldn't place what it was.

Finally, it was Halloween day.

Loki's curiosity was at its peak, and he didn't like not knowing the things happening around him. This day was eagerly awaited for all the secrets would be revealed!

"Loki," Peter called, knocking on the man's door before letting himself in, "It's time to get dressed; we're leaving in an hour!"

"Just waiting for you," The man smirked, snapping his new book closed and placing it on the desk as he stood up. He eyed the bag in Peter's hand, stepping forward as it was offered to him. "Am I finally allowed to know what you're forcing me into?"

"Yep," Peter grinned, carefully watching Loki's reaction as he gazed into the bag. He made sure to leave the door open a crack just in case he needed to make a quick getaway - he had learned his lesson very quickly when he had shown Sam his costume.

Loki's curious expression went blank as he gazed down at the light blue fabric and sparkles, blinking as he slowly looked up at Peter.

"You're kidding..."

"Nope," Peter chuckled as he rocked back on his feet. "C'mon, everyone else agreed to theirs!"

"I'm not exactly like the other Avengers, child. Surely you know this by now."

"Don't make me get Mr. Thor..."

Loki narrowed his eyes slightly, a few muscles in his body tensing. The idea of Thor knowing about this wasn't all that shocking, but the fact that Peter believed Thor had the power to force him into this costume...

"I don't think my brother-"

"He said he'd tell everyone about the time a giant stole Mjolnir and you helped him get it back."

That made Loki stiffen for a minute, the repressed memory surfacing full force in his mind. That would definitely be quite motivational.

"It'll only be for one night," Peter continued, smiling reassuringly. "Everyone else will be doing it too, so it won't be embarrassing! Even I'm going to be in something like it for my second costume!"

Taking a deep breath, Loki grabbed the costume and nodded towards the door. "Get out, I'll be finished shortly."

Peter smiled brightly as he nodded and ran out, eagerly waiting in the hall. This had been on Peter's mind for a while, and he was thankful that Loki had actually agreed to do it! He was prepared for more of a fight, having enlisted the help of Thor and a reluctant Mr. Stark. But this was awesome!

After a few minutes, Loki called for him to return to the room. Peter couldn't help the smirk on his face as he did a special knock on the door, "Loki? Do you want to build a snowman-"

The door opened suddenly, Peter stumbling back with a laugh as he looked at his friend. The laugh soon died as he blinked in awe, staring wide eyed at how perfect the costume was on Loki.

Loki's arms were crossed as he half-glared at Peter, an eyebrow raised in a way that said Loki was not amused. But that didn't matter at the moment... The fact that the Elsa dress fit him so shockingly well had Peter at a complete loss for words. Like... wow.

"That's... awesome. That's _so_ awesome, you look amazing, Loki!"

"Go get dressed before I change my mind," Loki instructed, though a faint smirk was now pulling at his lips. Peter nodding quickly before taking off to his room, leaving Loki to find the others.

He was right to have a bad feeling about his costume earlier in the week, being put in this dress was far too much - though he would admit that he looked great in it. It was still humiliating, and he hated every second of it.

Until he reached the family room.

Loki had to hold in a laugh as he saw the other Avengers dressed in other glittery princess dresses, which instantly made himself feel better. Especially seeing Stark in the large, off-the-shoulder yellow dress that he was sure prevented the man from sitting down. Yes, Loki definitely felt much more grateful for the slim dress he was wearing.

"If you're laughing at me, Ice Queen," Tony started, "I will post pictures of you all over the internet. Everyone will see you in a dress - some will probably even use photoshop on you."

"I can do the same to you, Stark," Natasha smirked, not bothered at all by her blue pants and white baggy shirt. "All of you can actually; the kid was a genius with this. If one of you goes down, all of you go down."

Taking a good look at everyone in the room, they all had to agree that Natasha was right... Tony was Belle, Steve was Cinderella, Bruce was trying to hide in the sofa that he was a very sparkly Jane Porter... Nat was very proud of her Prince Eric costume though, and the others had yet to show themselves.

On cue, thundering footsteps down the hall drew everyone's attention as Thor made his grand entrance, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. Loki had to fight down another laugh; Thor looked even prouder of himself in the blue dress, black corset, and pink cape of Anna than Natasha could ever hope to in her outfit.

"Brother, friends, I am ready to go out and experience this Midgardian custom to the fullest!"

"You're gonna have to wait a little long, Point Break," Tony chuckled, "We're still waiting on the kid and pigeon."

"I heard that!" Sam's voice rang out from behind Thor, the larger man stepping out of the way as a monstrosity of red came stomping in. It took everyone a while to realize that Sam was in a mascot costume of Mushu, though he didn't seem too happy in it as he struggled to take off the head.

"Why am I in this thing? Who even sells this in a store? I am going to look stupid-" Sam finally got the head off and froze, staring at the others with wide eyes and a completely shocked face. "...You know what? Never mind. I can deal with this."

"It suits you," Steve chuckled, fighting off a laugh but failing terribly.

"Better than a dress at least..."

They all laughed and talked for a while, commenting on the similarities between their characters and personalities. An argument broke out now and then when the teasing became too much for someone's fragile ego, but it would never last long. Loki was growing tired though and getting very close to hunting down Peter to find what was keeping the boy so long...

But just as the thought crossed his mind, Peter came running into the room. "Okay, who's ready to go?"

Everyone looked to him eagerly, all curious about what his costume would be. A chorus of disappointed shouts were made once they saw the cheap suit and fedora the boy had on; though Peter only laughed as he held up his hands and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll change into something worse after the show!"

"Show?" Loki raised an eyebrow, carefully taking in Peter's costume, especially the velcro seams. "What show?"

"There's a competition being held at a theater that one of my classmates signed me up for, I thought it would be fun if you all came to watch! Along with the show MJ and I will be in, they have karaoke and the upstairs was turned into a haunted house! It'll be awesome!"

The group looked at each other before sighing; of course they would go with him to this competition-show-thing. And of course Tony and Loki made large bets with the others that Peter would win.

The drive into the city was... interesting. Getting everyone into the limo was slightly difficult, but then having to sit next to Tony, Bruce, and Sam was very dangerous. One could easily be smothered by Tony and Bruce's dresses, or crushed by a misplaced tail from Sam. But they all managed to survive - more or less - the trip to the theater.

There was a line of costumed people outside and wrapping around the building, a bouncer at the front door with a clipboard in his hand as he slowly let people in. Tony had the sneaking suspicion that this was more like a club than a theater... He was going to ask the kid if that was true, but Peter was already out of the car and talking with the bouncer.

The man nodded once as he gestured for Peter to go in, though his eyes widened as he got a good look at the boy's guests. The stunned silence from the crowd as the Avengers got out of the limo in the Disney Princess (and Prince) dresses almost had Bruce running back to the cover of the limo, but Thor grabbed his shoulders and pushed him forward.

Inside was slightly calmer, though there were a lot of people talking and moving. The group followed Peter as he stood on his toes to look over the heads of everyone, in search of his classmate most likely.

"Oh, there's MJ!" Peter smiled brightly, maneuvering his way through the crowd to ... him? Loki could have sworn MJ was a girl last he saw... Her hair was also a lot longer when he last saw her, had she cut it just for this night?

"Hey, nerd," MJ greeted as she looked Peter up and down with a smirk, her eyes soon moving to the Avengers behind him. She was silent for a while before chuckling, "You all look ridiculous."

" _Dude_...!" Ned frowned at her, "You can't just call the Avengers ridiculous...!"

"I just did."

Loki drowned out the two of them arguing as he looked around, taking in his surroundings. It wasn't overly crowded, thankfully, but it was heavily populated. There was a stage on the other side of the room with multiple rows of chairs in front, people already starting to take their seats. Colored lights flashed in time with the background music, two things that would normally send Peter's senses reeling. Taking a closer look at the boy, Loki noted with interest the small earbuds he had; a prototype of Stark's new sound muffling tech. He really hoped they would work well for him tonight...

A voice called for all the performers to head back stage, Peter smiling wide as he and MJ left the group. Figuring that the show would be starting soon, the Avengers went to take their seats in front of the stage - front row, thanks to Stark and his money.

It was fun to watch Stark, Banner, and Rogers struggling to sit in their dresses, Loki almost laughed when Stark's flipped up and almost buried him in the golden fabric and hoop skirt. But the man must not have liked Loki's quiet snickers because he stopped trying to sit on the end of the aisle and went to take the seat right next to Loki, effectively burying him beneath the same fabric and hoops that Stark was suffering from.

It became a game after that - trying to see who could bury who first. Loki was sure that Peter would hate himself for missing it later on...

They were forced to settle down soon afterward though (Tony declaring himself the winner for taking out two at once - himself and Nat) when the curtain on the stage started to lift, showing an incredibly dramatic and gold setting with half of a fake jet. When the jet door opened and MJ stepped out in a cover of fog, Loki could hardly believe that this was the same teenager he had known before... The normally bored and uncaring girl going all out with her show - Loki could hear Peter cheering in the side of the stage. To think she was hiding all of this dramatic talent beneath her cold exterior, Loki definitely liked her.

The cheering of the crowd almost became too much when she went off to the side and pulled cash out of her pockets, suddenly Peter was much more noticeable as she threw the money over him. Peter laughed as he played along with her, though there was a very dark blush spreading across his cheeks.

When her show ended and gold confetti exploded from somewhere above them, the people's excited cheers became much louder than before - though Peter still seemed to be the loudest.

It was definitely interesting to watch, Loki had to admit. He had never found these sorts of events enjoyable, but this Midgardian one was different from the ones on other worlds... It could be a treat in rare doses.

There was a small break after MJ and her dance crew had left the stage, the staff having to clean everything up and roll in the next set - which Loki assumed was Peter's. When the boy peeked his head out from behind the curtain to look at them, the man couldn't help but raise a brow at the nervous expression Peter wore. It didn't look like the kind of nerves one got from stage fright... But what else would Peter have to be nervous of?

The boy gave him a small smile and thumbs up, Loki nodding in return, before he ducked back behind the curtain. A few minutes later, it rose to reveal a mostly empty stage - save for the large cardboard cutout in the middle.

Loki could help but frown slightly when Peter started twirling around on the stage to the peaceful but boring song. Surely the boy didn't think he'd win just from that? When he wanted to, Peter's dramatic and pure extra-ness could rival that of even himself and Stark. But this... Loki and Tony both avoided Sam's smug gaze through his suit, all three knowing that Peter had a real chance of losing - along with the money the two men were betting on him.

When Peter ducked behind a group of umbrellas, the small and almost pitying cheers from the crowd quieted down - just before picking up again as the song changed and a group of men came on the stage to start dancing. The cutout lifted into the air seconds before the umbrellas lifted and Peter came marching back onto the stage.

Even as the crowd roared, all of the Avengers were silent - forced into silence by their shock. Peter stood in the center of the stage and danced with the most confidence anyone had ever seen - all while wearing a leather bodysuit and fishnet stockings.

Thor seemed to be the first one to snap out of his shock, soon cheering just as loudly with the rest of the crowd, the rest of the team slowly following suit. It was then that Loki could hold back his laugh no more, the chuckle building louder as he shook his head slightly. There was no way Peter was losing this, he should have known better.

A wild smirk played on Peter's lips that Loki knew all too well, watching as the boy went over and started dancing on the side of the stage next to MJ. The cheering grew as she started dancing along with him for a second before Peter left and reached down to splash water from the floor-

Water?

Loki blinked before narrowing his eyes, making sure he truly did see water fly from Peter's hand. He didn't have to search long for his answer though, seconds later a rain machine turned on just over Peter. Loki almost felt like sending a smirk towards Sam because there was absolutely no way that Peter would be losing this contest, but he kept his eyes on the boy in fear of missing the next change of scene.

Water splashed across the stage as Peter and his male backup dancers moved in the rainfall, Peter's wig slowly starting to stick to his face as he jumped and turned and flipped in the water. When the sparkler machine turned on behind them, Loki finally managed to glance over at Sam to see that the man had taken his costume head off and was staring with wide eyes and mouth open at the show. He would be losing quite a few dollars that night.

After kneeling on the stage and making sure he could get himself as wet as possible, Peter ended his performance with a flip. Loki cringed slightly at how hard he landed on his back, making a mental note to ask about that later.

All of the Avengers, as well as the rest of the theater, stood up to cheer their boy on as he stood up and took a dramatic bow next to the edge of the stage. The cheering of the crowd was nearly deafening, but Peter smiled widely as he waved to everyone before jogging backstage, sending a mischievous grin to Loki before he disappeared.

There were a few other competitors afterward, but none of them could really compare with Peter. They seemed to know that too; often resulting in them trying too hard or not enough.

The time for the judgment couldn't have come soon enough, all of the contenders standing along the stage - Peter still in his leather and fishnets but with the added accessory of a towel around his neck.

It came as no surprise when the judge announced Peter the winner, handing him a large studded belt as a reward. Peter held it high above his head, grinning brightly as his adoring fans screamed their praise.

"He gets that from my influence," Tony smirked as he leaned over to Loki, chuckling a bit.

"The adoring fans?" Loki glanced at him before smirking as well, giving a small shrug. "I'll give you that; but he gets his taste for dramatics and winning side from me."

Tony looked like he was about to argue, but a loud scream caught everyone's attention and made them look to the stage just in time to see Peter running off it, a horde of fans chasing after him. It took a second for that scene to register with everyone, but once it did, even Loki couldn't hold back his laugh.

He could definitely get used to this holiday.

 **A/N: I was playing around with so many different ideas for this chapter, you have no idea! I thought of a haunted house, costume contests, festivals, everything! But then I got a few new comments on an old story I wrote, The Dancing Spider... Basically it's Peter and MJ doing the Lip Sync Battle at their school and the Avengers sneaking in to watch. I got back into watching Tom and Z preform and I couldn't resist. I had to do it, I hope you don't mind!**

 **Question of the day! If you're dressing up, what/who will you be? A few months ago I had hoped to be Natasha, but I cut and dyed my hair again so that's a nope... I'm not going out tonight, but I'll probably get into cosplay and make a few videos.**

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The team - along with MJ and Ned - had a very full night after Peter escaped his fans... The group had gone upstairs to the haunt house for fun, Sam trying to redeem himself by claiming the first one to scream had to buy their food that night.

Poor man... He didn't stand a chance.

Neither did the zombie actor that got hit by his tail.

Peter, who was disappointingly unaffected by the jump scares thanks to his spidey-sense, never thought he would see the day when the Avengers would scream in fear of actors. But here they were! Bruce had wisely made the decision to wait for them all downstairs, which everyone was soon thankful for. For a cheap theater like this, their haunted house was amazingly good. So good that Peter had to threaten to become a human shield for the actors to keep Loki from stabbing them - Loki and Tony were not thrilled by that.

Leaving the theater building with Tony (by default since Thor didn't actually have money) buying dinner, Peter cringed slightly and wrapped his arms around himself. His leather body suit and the cool Autumn air did not mix well... Especially when he was still slightly wet from earlier. "It got cold...!"

The group all stiffened for a second, glancing around each other with wide eyes as Loki gave a small chuckle.

"The cold never bothered me anyway," He smirked, looking down at Peter with mischievous eyes. Though even Loki couldn't hold back his shocked laughter as Thor popped up behind him with hopeful eyes and a large grin.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"


	24. Where Were You?

**A/N: Characters may be OOC here... I've been awake for 16 hours now and this story is as more for me than anything else...**

There were a few things in life that Peter was good at; he was a top student at school, he liked to think he was a decent superhero, after all the messes May made in the kitchen he was great at cleaning, likewise he could also make a few meals without burning their apartment down, he was even pretty confident in his money management skills...

But his one true weakness... Time management.

Peter honestly hadn't meant to stay out all night... He really tried to be back at the Compound by three and hope that Friday wouldn't rat him out. But it was just one thing that lead to another and next thing he knew it was long past three-am when he finally made it back to the Compound.

This wasn't the first time he had stayed out all night either. Working with two hours of sleep on a school night was not ideal... At least he was able to get three hours on the weekends! His body had been dragging lately though, slowing down and responding sluggishly. Even he knew that it was dangerous for him to keep going like this, but he just couldn't find a way to stop. How could he stop when he knew that people were getting hurt every second he wasn't out there?

Climbing up the side of the Compound and towards his bedroom window, Peter had a brief thought of why Friday hadn't ratted him out to Mr. Stark yet? Surely she could tell that he was crawling on the outside of the building at an hour that was long past his curfew... Maybe Karen had talked her into the whole 'snitches get stitches' thing.

Smiling to himself, he pushed open his window and hopped inside. He pulled off his mask and turned around to toss it on his bed, but ended up muffling a scream as he jumped into the air and stuck to the ceiling - eyes wide and breathing heavy as he stared at Tony Stark leaning against his desk.

"M-Mr. Stark," Peter panted, letting out a shaky breath as he lowered himself back to the ground slowly. "What - What are you doing here? In my room? At-" Taking a quick glance at the clock as if he didn't know what time it was, "-Five in the morning?"

Tony's arms were crossed over his chest, a single eyebrow raised in a look that Peter could only describe as instant death if he said the wrong thing. While Peter didn't see this look often, he definitely knew it wasn't good. This look could mean countless bad things for him... Groundings, having his suit taken away, new protocols in place; horribly bad things.

Taking a deep breath, Tony glanced down at Peter's desk in feigned innocence as he picked up a pen. "Peter, do you know what time your curfew is?"

"...Two-AM."

"And remind me what time is it now?"

Peter gulped slightly, "Five."

"I see..." He twirled the pen in his hand before placing it back on Peter's desk and looking up at the teen with slightly narrowed eyes. "So where were you?"

Peter's brain whirled with all the things he could say - should say. He should tell the truth - but then he'd get grounded or have the suit taken away... He could say that he heard something outside - but that would cause a panic to go through the Compound. He could always mention someone else, that would take most of the heat away from him... Thinking fast, he grasped onto the first name that popped into his mind. "I was with Loki."

Tony nodded slightly, seeming to consider it. "Hm. I suppose that could make sense. What were you doing with Loki?"

The joy that his excuse was believed was short lived, having to fight off a frown as he quickly said the next thing that came to mind. "He wanted to go... see... fireflies."

When Tony's eyebrow rose again, Peter nearly cursed himself. Couldn't he have thought of something more believable and less stupid? Why did he say fireflies? It wasn't even firefly season!

"Fireflies, huh...? You sure about that?"

Screw believable or not, this was Peter's lie and he was going to stick with it. A good captain always goes down with his ship! "Yep."

A sudden brightness assaulted his vision, quickly closing his eyes and taking a step back. Why on earth would Friday-

"Want to try that again?" A smooth and dreaded voice asked, Peter suppressing a groan as he slowly opened his eyes to see Loki leaning against his wall with a hand on his light switch.

"The truth, now, before we really get angry," Tony said, his head tilting slightly as his eyes narrowed more. "Unless you want to be grounded?"

Peter sighed as he went to sit on his bed. "I was out patrolling - but I had to do it! There's been a lot of crime lately and I couldn't just give up on everyone! Not when I could do something to help! You know that I have to-"

"What good are you to the people dead?" Loki's interrupted question silenced Peter, drawing the boy's wide eyes to him. "Peter, do you truly think we are as blind and naive as you hope? Stark and I have both seen the way you have been acting recently; you're slow and sloppy, almost causing a fire in the labs last week and nearly trapping yourself inside it. What if you faced an enhanced like that? They would kill you within the first minute. You constantly say you have the power to save people, don't let such a power go to waste simply because you aren't getting proper sleep."

Peter stared at him, blinking slowly as he took those words in. He hated to admit it, but Loki definitely had some truth in that... He had noticed his body slowing down, and he did know he was pushing himself past limits he never tried to reach before. But if someone got hurt because he wasn't there...

"Stop that-" Tony commanded, pointing a finger at Peter as he stood up straight. "Stop putting the welfare of _everyone_ on yourself, because that's not going to end well for anyone. You are never going to save them all - that's impossible even for us adults. There will always be someone that you can't reach in time. If you keep on the thought-path that you're on right now, you will work yourself into a downward spiral. A downward spiral that's even worse than what you're on right now. Pete, you can't keep doing this to yourself... Trust me, that's not a good place for you to be."

Peter glanced between the two of them, picking at the bedspread as he thought. He knew that they were right... He hated to admit it, but he knew it. He had seen a lot of Tony-Anti posts online to know that even Tony hadn't been able to save everyone in the battles he was in, and even Loki had admitted to losing a few comrades in his Asgardian battles in the past... But Peter just didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. He had to-

"Fight the thought if you want," Tony sighed, "but I'm still grounding you and taking the suit for the next two weeks."

Peter's eyes widened as he looked up at them, "What? No, Mr. Stark, you can't!"

"And we're telling your aunt," Loki scowled, pure horror crossing Peter's face.

"No... No, please! You can't tell her!"

"I'm sorry," Loki shook his head, "But if you aren't going to willingly stay out of trouble, then what other choice do we have?"

Sighing in defeat, Peter flopped back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Was he pouting? Yes. Was it immature? Yes. Did he care? Not at all. His sleep deprived mind was convinced that they were the ones in the wrong, almost as if they were betraying him. He expected some kind of punishment, but all three of these things was just uncalled for!

Tony took a step to him and patted his leg almost awkwardly, "Just... try to get some sleep, kid."

Peter didn't answer, turning over on his side and away from them. He heard Tony sigh as he left the room, but didn't move from his position. He could still hear Loki's quiet breathing from the far wall...

It was quiet between the two for a while, neither of them doing anything to start a conversation. Though Peter really wished that Loki would get tired soon and leave because the side he was laying on was really sore from a fight he had been in earlier... But he knew better. Loki had a reason for staying behind and wouldn't leave until that reason was fulfilled.

After what felt like forever, Peter became too twitchy under Loki's constant gaze and decided that he would be the one to cave first. If he didn't, he might just go crazy from the holes being bore into his back. "Are you just going to stand there and watch me all day?"

He was met with silence, causing Peter to frown. He rolled slightly, peeking over his shoulder to see that Loki was in fact still there and quietly staring at him. Their eyes locked for a time before Peter rolled back over to continue ignoring him.

"You become easily irritated when you lack sleep, child." Loki finally said, walking over to take claim of Peter's desk chair. "It's not very becoming of you."

Peter would have started to argue, but felt like the silent treatment would work much better. Because even while he was mad at the man, he didn't want to say something he would regret later.

The longer he stayed quiet, the sleepier he became. If he were to open his eyes though, he would have seen the green light coming from Loki's hand and circling around his head - the cause behind his dreams.

Dreams of him swinging through the city and saving people, of him and his friends doing things together, his favorite TV shows, hanging out with the Avengers, exploring space and the many amazing planet with Loki, dreams that made him happy beyond belief and slip into a deeper sleep than he had had in weeks.

Loki chuckled to himself as he watched Peter sleep. Hopefully when he woke up, with the help of the dreams, he would be in a much better mood.

 **A/N: A short little... thing... as I try to get back into writing complete chapters. I've been having sort of a block lately and it is far from fun. I recently got into Merlin and have been trying to start a one shot book for that, but I can't seem to finish any chapters! Not there or here! I have 7 drafts for Spider and Snake, 10 drafts for Merlin, and don't even get me started on all the other side projects...!**

 **So to those that requested something and it hasn't been posted yet, please be patient. I am working on it, but my brain is not wanting to work properly.**


	25. Matters of the Mind

**Let's all get one thing straight... This book's first chapter is originally based on a Tumblr post. All credit of that chapter goes to** artemxmendacium **,** runnerfivestillalive **, and** secretsaway **on** _ **Tumblr**_ **. All chapters afterwards are from my own mind and the requests of others. I did not steal the idea of this story in anyway. I merely put the ideas together. I have said this in the first chapter, and I give credit to every person that makes a request. I take no credit for the ideas of others. I never have and I never will, I sincerely hope that you all believe this. Being accused of story theft is not something I am fond of, and would love it if that would never happen again. Getting accused put my whole day off and put me in a bad mood, and no one likes it when an author is in a bad mood because then characters will die... Lucky for everyone, however, I have plenty of requests that do not center on harming our beloved duo (though there is a prompt that can cause a lot of pain...)**

 **A special thanks to** Lillith_Hellfire **,** saintpug **,** KarmaLara5 **, and** Puppens101 **on Wattpad for cheering me up and giving me motivation to write again. Without them, it would have been a lot longer before this chapter was posted.**

A scream ripped out of a raw throat, echoing off the walls of an abandoned warehouse and scaring away any nearby birds. Though it was doubtful there was any living things in the area outside of the warehouse... any unfortunate animals would have run away a long time ago with the amount of agonized noises coming from inside, and all hope for a human to hear and call for help was lost within the first thirty minutes.

Peter had lost all track of time, not even being able to count a minute anymore. All he knew was the pain being forced on him in the form of mental torture, something so horrible he wouldn't even wish it on his worst enemies.

He didn't even know how he ended up here, chained to a crazy taser chair that shot electricity through him if he moved too much. He would have willingly taken the electricity at this point though if it meant that the enhanced female standing over him would stop her assault on his mind. She was rummaging around in this mind in a way that felt violating, digging up every insecurity and fear he's ever had with a strength that could break him if she so chose. Each time a new image appeared in his head, a burning pain was brought along with it and made his mind feel like it was melting. Was his brain leaking out of his ears? He wouldn't have been surprised...

But then it was gone, and he was left gasping for air as the pressure was pulled away.

"Spider-Man..." The woman started, circling around his chair. Peter let his head drop forward, no longer having the strength to even attempt to keep an eye on her. "You are close with the Avengers, right? I want you to do something for me..."

Despite his mental berating against it, Peter let out a soft laugh, "If this is your way to ask for a favor, lady, you've got to find a better way."

For his effort, Peter was rewarded by a sharp pain in his head. He cursed silently as he decided to concentrate on making sure he could breathe properly, that was probably his most pressing issue at the moment.

"This is not a favor, because you won't have a choice in the matter."

" _Great_..."

She stopped behind him, leaning down and whispering in his ear. Peter's eyes widened at her words as he started thrashing in the chair, electricity be damned; he couldn't do what she commanded! He wouldn't! Not even if it killed him!

Her powers surged through his head again, another scream forcing its way out of him as dark spots started covering his vision.

" _Loki_..." He muttered, his voice nearly begging, just before his body went limp.

 **MCU LINE BREAK**

Loki let out a sigh as he checked his watch, his foot tapping slightly on the roof. He had already been through an off day, and now he was forced to wait over an hour for Peter... He had a right mind to just leave, wanting nothing more than to just relax back at the Compound with a book and hot tea. He really should leave... This wasn't the first time Peter was late to one of their meet ups and he had probably just been distracted by a fluffy animal of some kind.

But no matter how convinced Loki was of this fact, a part of him still had a nagging worry that something was wrong. It was ridiculous, Peter had been late many times before and there was absolutely nothing wrong. Why should today be any different?

"Loki," A metallic voice called behind him, causing the man to turn with furrowed brows.

"Stark?"

"We might have a problem." The suit hovered over the ground for a second before landing, the faceplate lifting to show a very worried face of Tony Stark. "The school called May earlier saying that Peter never showed up, and May called me because she thought Peter was with us. He never went home after patrolling last night."

Loki's breath caught in his throat as his eyes jumped around in front of him before looking back at the metal man, "His tracker...?"

"Disabled. Last known location was on the edge of Queens and headed to the Bronx." Tony shook his head with a sigh, "He was looking into that murder case, wasn't he? Do you know anything, Loki? Did he tell you anything yesterday?"

"No, though I told him to leave the killer alone. He wouldn't continue..."

"It's Peter, of course he would."

Loki silently cursed, he should have known better...

"I have Cap and Nat searching around the last place his tracker was; I'm on my way to go scan the Bronx. You wanna tag along?"

Loki looked out over the city before shaking his head, "No, I will conduct my own search. I will alert you if I find anything."

Tony nodded as his faceplate went down as he lifted into the air, "Alright. Good luck."

Barely waiting until Stark was out of his vision, Loki started his journey off the roof and towards the area that the murderer was suspected to be hiding. He could only hope that it was right and he made it in time.

As he rushed through the city, Loki couldn't help but curse himself. There was a murderer that was one body away from being a serial killer running around New York; of course Peter would not be able to stop himself from getting involved! He had hoped that Peter would have at least had the sense to leave his tracker on though-

Loki's eyes widened as he stopped suddenly, his head jerking back to narrowly avoid getting a ball of webs in the face. He watched as the webs hit a wall with a splat before turning to see who shot it at him. Surely it couldn't be...

Taking a deep breath, Loki narrowed his eyes at a figure hiding in the shadows and pulled out his daggers. "Come out and face me. What have you done with Spider-Man?"

The figure tilted its head slightly before walking forward into the dim light of a street lamp, the pale yellow glow doing nothing to hide the red and blue suit of Loki's attacker. He wasn't dissuaded though, taking a battle stance.

"Nice try, but Spider-Man would never attack me. Maybe do a bit more research before impersonating someone next time."

A small laugh came from the imposer as they took another step forward, reaching a hand up to the mask and tugging it off. "You sure about that?"

For the second time that night Loki's breath caught as he saw that fluffy brown hair shake loose of the mask. Brown eyes filled with hatred and anger being directed at him, so foreign yet so familiar...

"You're not Peter..."

"Wow, I can't believe I actually thought you were smart once." The boy laughed as he grabbed the lamppost and swung up to sit on top of it. "You're just getting all the wrong answers tonight!"

"Peter wouldn't-"

"Stop pretending that you know me! You know nothing! You and Stark are just the same, always talking like you own everything and that the rules don't apply to you! Well you don't own me! You never will!"

Loki scanned his face, a knot forming in his stomach as he slowly realized that this was really, truly Peter. What ever had happened to him... Loki couldn't say, but it had to be the work of an enhanced. Had the murder been enhanced and Peter was at their mercy all day? That would explain a lot... He watched Peter glare at him and steeled himself; he would most likely have to fight the boy if he wanted to get close enough to break whatever had a hold on his mind.

"Alright, Peter..." Loki took a breath, "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" His head tilted slightly in question before a large grin played on his face. "Easy; I want the Avengers dead."

"Child-"

Before he could get anything else out, Peter launched himself off the lamppost and toward Loki, arm coiled back and body tense in preparation for the hit. Loki side-stepped him and grabbed Peter's arm in an attempt to restrain him while his other hand went towards his head, but Peter easily broke free.

Loki knew that Peter was strong... He knew that. But he couldn't hold back his shock at the force behind the boy's counter attack, both of Peter's feet planted hard in his chest and shoved back with all his strength. The air was knocked out of Loki's chest as he skidded back quite a few yards, maneuvering his daggers to block Peter's second kick and toss him away.

"Peter, do not make me hurt you..." Loki warned, his voice low as he spun his daggers in his hand. Peter only smirked though as he lunged forward, Loki letting out a sigh as he met the boy half way.

They weren't evenly matched - not even close. Loki knew that he could win this fight at any time if he wanted to; but he didn't. Rushing to end the fight would only result in a hurt Peter, and Loki really didn't want that... So he fought on defense, waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself.

Peter would throw a punch, Loki would block it with the blunt side of a dagger, Peter would jump up and try to kick, Loki would take a step back, the cycle would repeat. The dark god honestly was disappointed... He never expected Peter to be so predictable and routine-like, finding an opening would be far too easy. It was a miracle that he had survived so long while fighting criminals; surely someone would have noticed this by now?

As Loki brought his dagger up to block the upcoming hit, a foot collided with his stomach instead - seconds before a fist slammed into his jaw. Loki landed on his back, his head hitting the ground with enough force to severely hurt a normal human. He didn't have time to complain though; Peter was on him and aiming the heel of his foot in an attempt to deal more damage to Loki's head.

Throwing away his dislike of hurting Peter, Loki grabbed the boy's foot before it hit him, twisting it as he stood up and putting Peter off balance. He tossed him to the ground and planted a foot on his chest, holding Peter down with a force slightly lesser than Mjolnir.

"You're wearing my patience thin, _child_ ," Peter sent him a pointed glare, opening his mouth to speak though Loki wouldn't let him. "If you don't want serious harm, I suggest you start calming down and allowing me to help you."

"I don't want your help! She warned me that you'd say that!" Peter thrashed beneath him, nearly managing to move Loki's foot from his chest, but Loki only applied the slightest amount of more pressure with a raised eyebrow.

"She? Who is _'she'_?"

Peter's eyes widened just a fraction before Loki felt a bolt of electricity go through his leg. He let out a low curse as Peter pulled himself out from under him, jumping back.

"She is none of your concern," Peter nearly growled, slowly backing away from the man. "Though maybe she was wrong in picking you as the first target... Perhaps one of the others would be better suited."

The boy turned around and crouched, getting ready to leap away when Loki called out to him.

"Peter!"

The strong command in his voice, with a layer of desperation underlying it, caused the boy to turn back. He was surprised to see Loki right there with a hand outstretched to him.

Peter realized too late what he had done, trying to jerk backwards. But it was already over; just a brush of Loki's cold fingers against his forehead had him freezing enough for the full hand to grasp him. Images and flashes of memories flooded his mind, things that had been forcibly buried rushing to the surface in an almost painful wave.

He saw himself joking with all the Avengers, helping Mr. Stark in the labs, sitting on rooftops with Loki, hundreds of happy memories with his family... Then he saw the events of his capture, waking up in an abandoned building, the woman torturing his mind, and his defeat to her powers...

He had given in... Peter had actually given in and agreed to attack the Avengers - to attack Loki! He wanted to kill Loki! His twisted thoughts from before were fluttering through his mind and making him sick. Even under someone's mind control, his thoughts were in no way normal...

"Peter...?"

Peter's eyes snapped to Loki, the man holding his hands out in a calming gesture from over him. When had he ended up on the floor?

With a sharp inhale, Peter sat up and pushed himself as far away as he could. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm _so_ _sorry_...!" That was his new mantra as he shook his head, trying to fight the tears back as he shook his head furiously. How could he face Loki (and the others) after what he did, what he thought? It didn't matter if he was under someone's control, it was wrong!

Loki watched as Peter did his best to curl in on himself, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Peter was back... He was a crying mess, but he was back. "Calm yourself, child, you have nothing to apologize for."

"I do!" Peter's voice cracked as he held a hand over his mouth, "I-I...! My mind...! I couldn't- Loki, I _couldn't_ -"

Hearing Peter's broken cries tugged at the heartstrings in Loki's chest (though he would never admit to having them) as he crept closer and knelt next to Peter, placing a hand on his head and pulling the boy into his chest. "That wasn't you, Peter. Understand? You have nothing to be sorry for over actions you couldn't control."

"But-"

"No buts; it's not your fault and that's final." Loki smirked slightly when he felt Peter's small nod against him. "I don't blame you, but I do hold the woman who did this to you responsible... Tell me everything you remember about her."

Peter, though still trying to push down his guilt, suddenly felt sorry for the woman that had captured him. She had hurt him in ways he never had before, but Peter knew only bad things would happen to the person who caused Loki's voice to turn as cold yet polite as it was now.

He risked a glance up at Loki, seeing that wickedly sweet smile on the man's face, and he almost felt sorry for what Loki was going to do to the woman.

 **A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate! I'm posting a more in-depth... Thank-Post...? on my Wattpad later, but I wanted to share this small message with all of you as well.**

 **This past year has been... Wow... I started this story in September last year as a oneshot in my Spider-Man OneShot book. I had no intention of turning Spider and Snake into a series... But I'm so glad that I was talked into doing so. Over this year, this story blew up in ways I never imagined possible for me. Somehow I've become people's favorite author/favorite story; I now have a small army/fanclub that has my back when the world gets mean; I even have people reading and commenting on my chapters MINUTES after I post them! Believe me when I say that this story is only possible because of all of you lovely readers. None of this would have been possible without all the encouragement and support that you've all shown me through this adventure of creating the Spider and Snake family... I love you all 3000. 3 3 3**

 **I really hope this gets me back in the swing of writing again! I'm running out of free time and I don't like it...! I only had one plan made for the end of the year and that was drive to Dallas, TX to hang out with a friend. But now suddenly my family decided to plan two more trips for the holidays, both out of state and with relatives I don't really like. I wish I could say things will go back to normal afterwards, but alas... it isn't so. My university classes start sometime in January and almost all my attention will be directed at that. I won't have free time until maybe June (I'm planning to go to an anime convention in May that'll take up a lot of time)! That is if I don't have to go visit my other family on the other side of the US during what little of Summer break I have left...**

 **I love writing so much, especially for this weird family that I somehow built. I love being able to share my work with others and make them happy from it. I am constantly thinking of stories and how to write certain scenes and normally work on multiple stories at once (ask my family, they think I'm crazy when I switch tabs on the computer almost constantly). So even if I don't post for a while, please don't think I've forgotten about this story or any of you. Believe me, I'm constantly working on different chapters and new stories. I know I say this a lot, but I do sincerely hope that you will all stay fans of this story if I'm unable to post for a while.**

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The enhanced woman cursed as she marched into her apartment, doing her best not to throw her keys across the room. How could that man break her control over Spider-Man so easily? No one had ever been able to break free from her before, what made him so special? It wasn't right!

She growled as she flipped the light switch, already starting to plan her next attack as she headed towards her kitchen. Maybe if she took Iron Man next...?

"I must say-"

She gasped and spun around to face the man leaning against the wall of her living room, her eyes wide as she took in his black suit and slicked back hair, the hidden rage in his green eyes nearly freezing her blood in her veins.

"-You almost had him. Whatever you did to the boy was very well done." Loki smirked, clapping slowly as he pushed off the wall and stood tall. "You are very powerful; you could have had real potential."

"Oh really?" She asked, her eyes scanning for anything she could use as a weapon near her, "I could have?"

"Yes, well..." Loki chuckled slightly, "You used your powers to hurt a child that is under my protection. You used him like a puppet to carry out your wishes. After that, I simply can't let you live. You understand, right?"

As he took a step to her, she unfortunately did understand... She was foolish to think a child of Stark and Loki would be easy prey, and even more so to think she would get out alive if he failed her task.


	26. Penny Parker and the Boy

**Trigger Warning? Maybe? Without giving much away, it involves a boy giving Penny a drink... If the TW applies to you, you'll be able to figure it out.**

 **A/N: Requested by Guest on FFN. To be honest, this chapter was somewhat difficult for me to write... This entire topic is something I generally avoid for personal reasons. So please forgive me if this chapter seems somewhat vague or rushed.**

If there was one thing that Loki really didn't like to deal with on Earth, it was the fact that sometimes he had to become uncomfortable so that others could be happy. If it was for Penny, he could find it slightly tolerable. He wouldn't silently plan her death in his head as he was doing for everyone else. No, he could handle anything Penny put him through if it was to make her smile.

What he could _not_ handle was what the Avengers were putting him through.

Loki hated parties - Midgardian parties at least. He could enjoy himself at a party or gathering anywhere else but Midgard; there was just something about the humans that he couldn't stand... He didn't even know what it was, but he just hated it. But he had made a promise to Thor and Penny that he would try to act like he was enjoying himself.

The Avengers were currently hosting a Christmas party for numerous political people and their families - which was so much worse than the charity galas. Instead of it just being the rich people looking down on everyone, their spoiled children were running rampant. The amount of teenage girls that tried to throw themselves in his arms was staggering! He had been spoiled by Penny's friendship into forgetting that a human teenage girl could be vicious...

Staying near Penny did nothing to help him either, if anything it just put a target on the sweet girl. So Loki decided to stay away from her for the party, at least until the female population calmed down. He did keep an eye on her, however, smiling faintly as she and her friends laughed about something.

"Brother!" Thor called, catching Loki's attention as he made his way over, a ridiculous Santa hat perched on his head. "Are enjoying yourself?"

"As much as one would enjoy being attacked by a screaming krabat."

Thor laughed, clapping his brother on the shoulder with a smile, "Come now, it's not that bad."

"No." Loki took a sip of his champagne, "It's much worse."

"Maybe if you were nicer, they would be as well?"

The two shared a look, knowing smiles spreading across both their faces as they laughed to themselves.

They passed banter back and forth for a while longer, Loki threatening to put poison in Thor's drink at some point just for something interesting to happen - only to be brushed off with a deep chuckle because Thor knew his brother 'wasn't like that anymore'. Loki was all the more tempted by that, and began to plan out how and when to poison him as Thor was called over by one of the guests.

Loki watched him leave with a smirk, knowing that his brother might have a little trouble staying awake once he got his hands on his drink...

Scanning the party for Penny again, he frowned as he no longer saw her with her friends nor was she near the food table. Was she making another attempt at the champagne? He smirked at the memory as he did a quick check of all the servers walking the crowd; none of which Penny was by.

His brows creased as he moved from his spot, purposefully ignoring a group of girls that tried to catch his attention. If she wasn't with her friends, at the food table, or trying to sneak a drink, then she must have gotten sensory overload and left. Loki had no qualms with leaving the party in search for her; in fact, he would have rejoiced over this if he didn't know about the pain an overload could cause her.

After briefly glancing out to the balcony (and running away at the large amount of teens), Loki started to make his way down the halls. If this was the Compound or Tower, then he would have easily known where to look, or been able to ask the AI where she was, but alas... they had rented a building for this party so the guests wouldn't accidentally hurt themselves messing with things they weren't supposed to and try suing them. How was it the Avengers' fault they were hurt when they were the ones sticking their noses into places it didn't belong? Loki would never understand the logic in that... If they had just stayed where they were supposed to, they wouldn't have been hurt. Simple as that.

But most humans were stupid and now they were in a new building that Loki and Penny didn't know that well, so he would most likely be forced to search every room to find her as calling her name would result in a worse case of overload.

With a sigh, he started his quest. The first few rooms he passed were bright and loud, definitely not for her. The next were dark and quiet, but also void of a certain Penny Parker. It wasn't until he reached the end of the hall and about to check in the last room that he heard the voices...

"Please... I just- I just want to go sit down..." Penny's weak voice, Loki unfortunately knew it well and confirmed his sensory overload theory.

"No worries, babe, I know just the place." A male voice chuckled, a voice that Loki neither recognized nor trusted.

Turning the corner in the hall, Loki took in the scene of a boy slightly older than Penny leading her to a room near the end. He was taller than her, but not as tall as Loki - maybe coming up to the man's chin. His short blonde hair was perfectly groomed in the way a politician's would be, not a hair out of place to match with his unnaturally whitened teeth and expensive suit. There was no doubt that this child was most likely taking after whichever parent had a job in politics.

Loki's eyes narrowed at the boy's hand around Penny's waist that was slowly going lower as he brought her to the door of the room, Penny insistently raising it back. He watched as Penny stumbled and swayed on her feet, acting as if her flats had six-inch heels on them. Loki also saw a champagne glass in Penny's other hand, the drink half gone and what was left swirling in her unsteady hand.

Having seen enough, Loki started marching down the hall to them, his eyes locked on the boy that was dangerously close to getting his hand cut off if it went any lower.

The boy, for his part, did not feel the heated glare on the back of his head or simply chose to ignore it as he gently pushed Penny into the room and closed the door behind him. Loki's dislike for the boy dropped even lower as his advanced hearing heard the very distinct sound of a lock clicking on the door.

Picking up his pace to the door more, Loki paused only for a second to listen to Penny's tired and confused voice ("Wait, what are you...? Stop that...!") before slamming the door open.

The room was dark, but Loki had no trouble seeing Penny on a large sofa, the boy hovering over her with a fist holding the strap of her dress off her shoulder. Obviously startled by his entrance, the boy stood up - though still holding Penny's strap - and glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing? Get out!"

Loki gave a small smirk as he took a step into the room, his shadow stretching out in front of him like a promise of the darkness that would soon be unleashed on this unsuspecting but well deserved boy. "What am _I_ doing? I could ask you the same thing."

"Patty just got sick, so I took her somewhere quiet. What's it to you?"

A muscle in Loki's jaw tightened as he looked at the girl, "Are you alright, Penny?"

"She's-"

"I was not talking to you, _skirja_."

Penny let out a quiet sigh as she started to get up, her shaking arms having a slightly hard time pushing the boy off her dress. "I- I don't know... I just got super dizzy and the room started spinning and everything's just going so fast right now, Loki. I don't- I don't know what..."

Loki was by her side in a flash of green, his hand gripping the arm of the boy tightly - forcing him to let Penny go - as he helped her up with the other. "It's alright now, I've alerted Stark and Banner and they'll be here momentarily to help sort this out."

"There's nothing to sort out," The boy, whose voice had jumped an octave, laughed nervously. "This is all a huge misunderstanding."

Loki fixed him with a glare so cold that the boy felt as if his feet had frozen to the floor. "Just a misunderstanding...? So I can tell them not to come?"

"Y-Yes! Of course!"

"Great." Loki's smirk turned evil and dark as his hand tightened, ice starting to travel up the boy's sleeves. "That means I can kill you here and now and enjoy your death as slowly and painfully as I see fit."

" _What_?" Up another octave.

"Penny Parker is under my care," Holding Penny close to his chest with his arm, he lifted her champagne glass and smelt it. "And slipping a drug into her drink is not something I like the idea of."

Penny's head lolled slightly to look at the blonde, a weak smile on her face. "I told you my mom was awesome."

"Penny?" Stark called as he and Banner entered the room, an illusion of Loki disappearing as they turned the lights on. They had only been told that there was a situation that urgently demanded their attention in a back room, though neither hero could have guessed it would be a scene like this.

"And there's dad...!"

Eyebrows shooting up into hairlines, Stark and Banner both sent quizzical looks to Loki who pushed the boy towards them. "He drugged her."

If the boy was scared before, he was absolutely terrified now. Not only was Tony Stark giving him a glare that rivaled Loki's - especially with those eyebrows - but Bruce Banner was actually starting to turn slightly green.

"You... drugged her?" Tony asked, stepping into the room more to stand squarely in front of the boy. "You actually slipped a teenage girl a roofie at a party that the _Avengers_ are hosting? Gutsy move, kid; unfortunately for you it was the wrong kind of move."

Bruce, fighting down most of the green, rushed to Penny and Loki's side to check the girl over as Tony continued to verbally attack the boy. He did his best to make sure she wasn't given an overdose, but Penny kept swaying on her feet even with Loki holding her. They eventually made her sit back down on the sofa, though she still didn't keep still, it was better than before.

"I know!" Tony exclaimed, "Let's tell the other Avengers about what he did! I'm sure Nat would _love_ to hear about it. Better yet, let's bring him back to the hall and tell _everyone_! Maybe his parents will realize what a scumbag they raised and let us keep him for target practice!"

Loki smirked at the thought, it did sound like a very nice and painful plan... He would love to see what the Black Widow did to a boy like this; perhaps he could even learn a thing or two from her technique.

"I'm going to bring Penny back to the Compound then," Bruce said, standing up from his crouch in front of the sofa. "She's not going to be awake much longer and I want to make sure that everything's okay."

Tony and Loki looked at the girl that was barely conscious, a pang going through both their hearts. Because as much as they wanted to hurt this boy that planned on hurting Penny, they also didn't want to leave her side.

"You go," Tony said, his eyes moving away from the girl and to Loki. "I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him, I'll even record it for you."

Loki's eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded, walking back to the sofa and lifting Penny up. "Just make sure the kid doesn't get out of this, I know how slippery these human politicians are."

Tony laughed slightly, bitterly, as he grabbed a handful of the boy's jacket. "He's not getting out of anything. I will personally see to it that he is properly punished."

There was a bubble of sadistic pleasure forming in Loki's chest at the sight of pure terror on the boy's face, almost as if he would start crying at any moment. Loki sincerely hoped that he did... Just a little tear before he left, just a little-

It wasn't meant to be, Loki almost pouting as he carried Penny out of the room with Banner right behind him. He distinctly wondered if it was wise to leave Stark alone with him, but pushed it away. While the Black Widow would be the perfect person to inflict as much pain on him as possible, Stark also had his ways. It wasn't always out of physical pain as it was financial and career ruin, but those things were almost just as important as personal safety. And if Stark did decide to hurt the boy physically, Loki was rest assured that it would most likely be with a metal gauntlet on.

Passing through the main hall to the exit, Penny's limp figure in Loki's arms paired with Banner's solemn expression and slightly green veins drew a lot of attention.

"Brother?" Thor asked, his eyebrows pushed together in worry as he made his way through the crowd, "Young Penny, is she-?"

"There was an _incident_... with a boy." Loki watched as a dark look passed through Thor's eyes, "Stark will be along shortly to explain, I'm sure. We're bringing her back to the Compound to rest and recover."

Thor nodded, looking back down the path that the three had just come from. Behind him, Loki saw the others with various expressions watching the scene as well. Clint, who was wearing a Santa hat like Thor, had a slack jaw and clenching fists as he stared at Penny; a flash of dangerous anger flaring through his eyes. Sam and Bucky just slightly behind him both looked like they were ready to kill, eyes narrowed and muscles tensing in perfect harmony (though they would never admit it). Steve and Natasha were on the other side of the path that was made for him, though they weren't as synonymous as Sam and Bucky. Natasha's face was cool, collected, her personal emotions hidden beneath the surface; it was like a dark sea hiding the deadly creatures in it. Steve, on the opposite side of the scale, let his anger show clearly as he took a step towards Loki.

"Did he...?"

"No," Loki shook his head once, "I arrived before anything could happen. Though the room was dark and the door locked, keep that in mind when Stark brings him."

Steve nodded as he started stalking towards the back rooms, the Avengers following after him. Loki felt himself smirk as he continued on his way outside, he was now truly convinced that boy would not slip out of this when all the Avengers were out for his head.

Setting Penny in the backseat of the car, Loki sighed and shook his head slightly. "You just had to go for the champagne, didn't you?"

As he got in the passenger seat, Loki felt a knot uncoil in his chest. He wasn't aware it was even there until it was gone, but he was finally able to relax in his chair and take a deep breath. If he hadn't of noticed Penny was gone when he did... If he had just been a minute later...

He shook his head, pushing those thoughts out. He had made it in time, and Penny was now safe. Granted, she would have a major headache in the morning, but she was otherwise safe. And that was what mattered at the end of the day.

Glancing back at her, he allowed himself a small smile. She was going to be in so much trouble in the morning for taking a drink from a stranger.

 **Skirja - Young Cow**

 **A/N: I'm not sure if this is the story that you wanted... but it's what I picked up from the request so... Oh well.**

 **Speaking of requests! While it is true that I'm writing and posting a lot slower than I used to, there are a few requests that I'm not going to take. It hurts me more than you can imagine, but there are a few that are far too vague for me to work with. When requests are vague (or simple and filled with hundreds of possibilities) it turns into a mess of words. Please have at LEAST 10 words in your request... Or some kind of major 'plot' point you want to happen.**

 **E.G.: "What if they go camping?" This is way too vague. What do you want to happen while camping? Peter could get lost? They could get attacked; by enhanced or a bear? Loki could get bitten by a snake? A major snow storm could hit and threaten Peter's life; or the opposite and a major heat wave threatens Loki's? Do they have a nice little fluffy moment and star gaze, Loki telling stories of his childhood? Or is it depressing and horrible?**

 **I'm not upset, I just want to make sure everyone gets their requests as close to what they want as possible. I hope this helps with any future requests!**


	27. Fighting Fears

**Request by bubbles_pandalife and ElainaDoliboa on Wattpad. I saw an opportunity and I took it... I combined two requests. I really hope you both don't mind, I think they fit together pretty well...**

 **IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END! PEOPLE IN 2020 PLEASE READ!**

Loki, though he would never admit it, had quite a bit of anxiety since coming to Earth. After joining the Avengers, he felt like it was hard to breath at times, or that there was a knot in his chest that wouldn't let go of him.

All because of Peter.

Loki hated it.

It didn't help at all that he recently had a nightmare of Peter dying. He, Prince Loki of Asgard, had a nightmare of a child dying... He realized he had sunken to such a low point, but the thought of Peter no longer being there... No longer being able to go on missions or spend idle time together or pull those pranks on the rest of the Avengers... It shook something deep within him. Loki could no longer imagine his life without the boy anymore.

And he hated it.

He was a god - a royal one at that! He was part of one of the most powerful races known to the universe! He had come to Earth to conquer it in the past, he had killed so many people to achieve his goals in life! And yet now he stood on the sidelines, watching a human boy fight an enhanced and sincerely worry about the boy's welfare with knots in his stomach.

He hated watching Peter swing headfirst into the middle of the fight; hated not being able to stop him from getting backhanded so hard Loki feared the boy's neck would snap; hated watching his body fly back through the air it had just come from, hitting the rubble from damaged buildings until he finally flopped to the ground. Loki absolutely hated - no. He loathed it.

"Peter!" Quickly getting off the sidelines where the boy had dared him to stay, Loki sent a knife flying at the enhanced and pinned them to a nearby wall before rushing to Peter's side.

The boy groaned slightly as he slowly started moving against the ground, tentatively placing a hand on his head. "That... That didn't go as planned."

Loki took in a breath as he examined the youth, eyeing the ripped fabric of the mask that showed a large mark already starting to bruise Peter's cheek. "I should hope not..."

"Next time will be better though, now that I know what they can do...!"

A frozen heart jumped inside his chest, words from a nightmare forcing a buried memory to the surface. Images of a lifeless Peter filled his mind, both injuries and exhaustion taking the last breath away from him. That dream was completely possible, Loki realized with a start. "No."

Peter blinked, looking up at the man with narrowed lenses. "No?"

"You won't be facing them again. It's too dangerous; I never should have let you talk me into sitting this one out." Loki shook his head as he stood up, sending a heated glare to the enhanced that was trying to free their jacket from Loki's knife. "I will handle this, you sit here."

"Loki, you can't be serious...!"

"I am." The man didn't even spare Peter a look as he turned his back and started walking toward the enhanced. "I won't allow you to be hurt on my watch; Stark would throw a fit."

Stark was always his excuse... He knew Peter didn't believe him anymore, no one did, but it gave him some sense of control back. Loki only had a mild care for Peter, he was only protecting him to avoid a lecture from Stark later. It wasn't true, but he would rather fake it than risk letting his emotions get the better of him.

Peter watched his friend walk away from him, seeming so much colder than any other time he could think of. Even when he first met Loki, the man had been at least a little more open than what he was now. He didn't understand though... Loki had seen him hurt many times before and they had both just laughed it off as they went to the med-bay; what was so different this time? What shook Loki enough to order him on the sidelines?

"I can help though-"

"No!" Loki wheeled around, his green eyes almost glowing with emotions strong enough to make Peter flinch back. "No, you are going to stay right there where you cannot be hurt. This enhanced is not one meant for you at this time."

A beat of silence passed over them as Peter's brows pushed together beneath his mask, his head tilting slightly. "At this time? What's that supposed to mean?"

"When you are older and more experienced to handle something like this. Not a child recklessly swinging into the middle of battle with no clue what this person can do."

Peter pushed himself up, his fists balled as he marched up to Loki. "No, not you too, Loki. Don't start treating me like a child too...! Please! This wasn't even that bad! You've seen me get hurt worse than this many times!"

"You are a child." Loki's eyes were narrowed, looking down his nose at Peter. "I was a fool for thinking that you could handle this on your own... I should never have made that mistake."

"I'm not a child! Not anymore!" Peter tugged his mask off, no longer caring about the enhanced or the way that Loki seemed taken aback by his hurt and angry expression. "Not after everything I've done, after the things I've faced! I've been to space; I've fought Thanos and his army; I've been fighting enhanced criminals long before I met you! One little slap shouldn't change anything!"

"Peter-"

The boy glanced over at the enhanced, his eyes narrowing as he looked back at Loki with a glare, "I really thought you were different from the others, that you wouldn't look down on me or treat me differently just because I'm the youngest. Sure, you're the mom friend, but you're my _friend_! I thought you were the only one that didn't care about my age and treated me as an equal! You valued my opinions in ways Mr. Stark never did!" Peter swallowed thickly, angrily blinking away his tear, "I guess I was wrong."

Before either could say anything else, Peter turned - pulling his mask back on - and swung away, ignoring Loki's calls for him to come back.

Loki was supposed to be the one that didn't care about his age... Since the beginning, Loki had been different from the other Avengers like that, letting Peter handle enhanced with no qualms unless it was someone strong. Sure, Loki called him 'child' a lot, but it never felt like he meant it. It just felt like an endearment when Loki said it, like Mr. Stark and his arsenal of nicknames.

Peter was almost eighteen, almost a legal adult! He would be headed to college soon, leaving the state for MIT... How long would the Avengers keep seeing him as a child? A helpless kid that couldn't hold his own? Someone that would need a babysitter - or a baby monitor protocol? How long would Peter be a baby?

Clenching his jaw, Peter swung between the buildings angrily, narrowly missing the hard surfaces of some high rises or vehicles. Perhaps he was reckless, but the thrill of the risk helped to keep the anger down somewhat. It had to. Because if he let the anger fester and take up any more of his mind, he would be flattened like a bug against a windshield.

But what was Loki's problem? Why would he suddenly just order Peter out of the fight like he had? Loki had seen him get worse injuries before, had seen him get worse from training sessions with the other Avengers! All of that just because Peter got a little slap? It was crazy!

With a sigh, Peter swung around a bus and landed on top of a traffic light. His mind was running too fast for him to do much else today... The last thing he needed was to swing into a building and be forced to call for help; so if he left the patrol early, then that would be considered a mature decision and Loki would see he was an adult!

Or he would be seen as weak...

"Hey, Karen?" Peter started, placing a hand to his masked ear, "Could you scan the area for any kind of disturbances? Anything at all: theft, robbery, enhanced?"

"Certainly, Peter," The AI's automated but kind voice responded, going quiet for a few seconds before coming back. "There is nothing coming up on any scanners. Would you like to broaden the search to outside of the current five mile radius?"

Peter thought for a second before nodding, "Yeah, search all of Queens."

A quiet hum was the only form of acknowledgment the boy received as she did as he requested, going silent for a full minute before responding. "There is a high speed chase happening between the police and a shooter down Twenty-Fifth Avenue, multiple victims, no deaths."

Nodding slightly, Peter took a deep breath before jumping from his perch. If he couldn't end patrol early, then he would take the most difficult situations and make them look easy. That would show Loki that he wasn't a child anymore.

Nearly a week after Peter and Loki's argument, the two of them had still not spoken to each other. The longer the silence ran between them, the more emotions Peter felt; he was upset that Loki's pride wouldn't allow the man to apologize, upset with himself for pushing the issue, worried that Loki would end up hating him if he didn't apologize, angry that he would even consider apologizing for something that wasn't his fault, lonely on patrols, fighting the urge to try even more reckless stunts just to spite Loki... He was a mess.

He hadn't spoken to Tony or any of the other Avengers either, let alone go to the Compound. Saying that he missed all of them would be an understatement... But he had to be strong! He really needed to prove that he was an adult, or they would forever look at him as a child.

Grabbing a bag of chips as he passed through the kitchen and to his room, Peter was fully prepared to put all his useless emotions to use by studying. Harnessing the power of one's emotions to fuel his mind was a rare talent that he was very grateful to have; especially with finals soon upon him.

"Peter?" May called out, leaning back from the doorway of the living room so just her head was visible. "Did you get into a fight with Loki?"

Peter froze, his hand half way around his doorknob as he looked up at her and (hopefully) faked enough of a smile to avoid suspicion. "What makes you think that?"

"Tony called earlier saying that Loki has been alone and moody for the last few days, and I'm pretty sure you were going to spend the weekend over there."

The boy mentally cursed; he had planned on spending the weekend there to work in the lab with Mr. Stark and training with the others... A part of him felt bad for abandoning them while in the heat of his fight, but he couldn't cave in yet.

"Oh, that's right...!" He playfully smacked his palm against his forehead, "Um... Well, I just thought it would be better for me to... concentrate on homework... You know - finals and all... I guess I just forgot to let Mr. Stark know."

"Right..." May's eyes narrowed. "And Loki?"

"Thor probably took his knives away." He opened his door and quickly shuffled inside, "Listen, May, I really need to study...! I have so much I need to do...! I love you!" Closing his door tightly behind him, Peter let out a breath.

Peter's talent of harnessing the power of emotions to study only worked when the emotions weren't fresh... And now thanks to the mention of the fight and a 'moody Loki', the memory was right at the front of his mind and demanding attention.

He let out a loud sigh as he tossed his backpack onto his bed and pulled his suit out. A little extra patrolling for the day wouldn't hurt...

Making sure that there was no one outside first, Peter slipped out his window and crawled up the side of the building and to the roof. He barely gave any thought before jumping over the edge and swinging away, the feeling of it as natural as breathing to him. Loki probably would have said something about it... but Peter wouldn't listen, even if the two of them weren't fighting at the moment.

"Peter, my scanners are picking up the activity of an enhanced a few blocks away," Karen announced. "Would you like me to show you a path to them?"

The lenses of Peter's mask widened for a split second before he nodded, "Yeah! That's great; I could really use the distraction."

A electronic trail appeared in Peter's vision, leading him straight to the cries and screams of... chaos. Noisy chaos was everywhere in the alley the enhanced was in. There were quite a few police officers, though there was more... other stuff. A swarm of bees circled one of the officers, occasionally diving at him like miniature kamikaze fighters; another officer laid on the ground, stiff as a board but his eyes open and moving around - completely coherent but unable to move; there was someone else trapped in a tank that was quickly filling with water, the officer desperately banging on the glass walls; there was even a cop running from a clown...

"Karen, what on earth is going on?" Peter asked, not waiting for her answer as he jumped down and aimed for the tank. He needed to save the man before he could even think about the enhanced...

"I'm not sure... Be careful, Peter."

The boy didn't reply as he braced his muscles for impact with the tank, his feet slamming into it with all the force he had from the jump. However, a grunt of pain and mostly disappointment left him as he didn't even crack the glass.

"I need more momentum..." Glancing at the sky, Peter hurriedly looked for the tallest building. The water was already up to the man's chest, he couldn't let it get any higher...!

Picking his targeted building, he shot a web and carried himself up into the air. He didn't know if he should be worried about the fact he had yet to see the enhanced... He probably should... But it was more important to save the people first.

Reaching the top of the building, he hardly gave himself time to adjust before jumping as high into the air as he could, shooting another web at the building again and yanking himself back down in a deadly human slingshot. Maybe he should have thought it through...

His heart was in his throat as he neared the tank, turning in the air to make sure his feet were what touched the glass first. Unable to suppress his flinch, Peter's eyes closed a second before he hit; the glass shattering under his force, freeing the officer and cutting deep into Peter's feet.

He cursed as he landed on the ground, the movement jarring the shards in his feet and no doubt sending a message report to Mr. Stark... The man would be there within the next few minutes as soon as he saw that Peter was hurt, putting a timer on Peter's rescue and battle. He wanted to finish this before help arrived, wanted to prove that he didn't need help to finish a mission on his own...! He was an adult! He would make the others acknowledge that fact!

"Spider-Man..." A voice called from the shadows, "I was wondering when you'd come busting in."

Grabbing the wall of the alley with one hand, Peter pulled himself up and clung to it, trying his best to keep the pressure off his feet. Hanging on the wall seemed to be the solution to his problem though, so he turned his attention to the voice.

Faintly, in the dark corner of the alley, there was a female figure hiding - watching him. She made no move to step forward and show herself, and Peter really couldn't see her that well even with his heightened senses, but there was something about her... he didn't know what it was... but he really didn't get a good feeling. Not only was his Spidey Sense screaming at him to leave, but ever fiber of his being wanted to be as far away from her as possible. Which really couldn't mean anything good for him.

"Did you do all this just to meet up with me?" Peter glanced around at the chaos still thriving, "I have to say... I admire the effort and dedication, but there are a lot easier ways to get in touch, ya know?"

"Don't be so full of yourself," Her voice took a cold and angry tone. "I just wanted to make sure I was ready for you, you always cause more trouble than you're worth when someone doesn't expect you."

"Ahh... I see now. What is this, revenge for a family member? Did I get your dad - no, your brother... locked away?"

Peter's head tilted, a smirk starting to play on his face under the mask, when his heart froze in his chest. An unimaginable sense of cold washed down his spine, a chill so hard it made his body shake. But it wasn't something caused by the temperature... It was fear. A fear so strong that it made his hand disconnect from the wall, so strong that it blocked out the pain of his bleeding feet touching the ground.

He was petrified. He was so horrified and useless that he couldn't move consciously, a voice whispering to him that he would never be good enough... That he would have to be rescued again because that's all he was good for, getting into trouble and needing an adult to help him. He would always be a child.

His lungs started to shutter, causing Peter to struggle to take a breath. The pain in his feet left him, being replaced by a burning all over his body; a fire that was consuming him completely and without mercy. He could faintly hear Karen calling him, but her voice was almost muffled and far away.

A cloth started to wrap around him, more and more pooling on him each second that passed until soon he could barely stand in it. It wrapped around his feet, tangling his legs and forcing him to the ground with a hard thud and yelp of pain. Through his heavy breathing and whatever fabric was around him, he could hear the snickering of the enhanced as she moved closer to him.

"So this is your fear?" She asked, her voice suddenly a lot closer, "Being a child? You are a super hero, but you're scared of being a child? Pathetic... I expected more from you."

"Shut up...!" Peter yelled as he struggled to untangle himself from his confines, too busy to notice or worry about how his voice changed, "I don't know what you did to me, but you're gonna be in so much trouble when I get out of this!"

Her snickers grew louder and soon turned to laughter the longer it took Peter to find his freedom, a dark and embarrassed blush heating his face. He was supposed to be a super hero! So why was he having so much trouble just getting out of a cloth? Was it a sentient cloth like Dr. Strange's cloak? That had to be it, there was no other reason he would-

Fresh air assaulted him without warning, the rest of the cloth soon falling away as well. Peter grinned in triumph before realizing that he was staring at the enhanced, who had freed him. He then realized that they were a lot taller than before...

He jumped back and away, trying to put distance so that he could get his bearings again; but to his surprise - and pain - he landed flat on his back a few inches from where he started, still partly tangled in what appeared to be an oversized spider-suit.

Slowly, his mind pieced it all together... How big the enhanced suddenly got, the large suit, his voice change, what she said about his fear... Fearfully, he looked down at himself, seeing young hands and a smooth stomach - no calluses from swinging, or abs or muscles of any kind.

"No... No, no, no...! What have you done to me? Why am I a kid?" He glared at her, but her smirk didn't even falter.

"You see, child, I am able to bring out a person's biggest fear, I can make your worst nightmares come true." Peter flinched at the title, and she definitely noticed. "Who would have thought that New York's biggest nuisance would have feared something so trivial though... I expected more from you, something... more threatening."

Peter did his best to stay calm and think of a solution out of this... Though it all seemed hopeless. When he had attempted a jump earlier, he noticed that his enhanced abilities were gone; he truly was a helpless child now.

Child or not though, his web-shooters would still work... He eyed his suit, still tangled around his lower half and too close to her for comfort. She was - much to Peter's displeasure - very perceptive and noticed his gaze, kicking a sleeve towards him.

"Think you can do something with this? Go ahead, I won't stop you. I'd _really_ like to see what a powerless baby can do."

Peter's eyes narrowed as he grabbed the sleeve and shoved his hand inside. It was so much larger than what he was used to, his fingers not even reaching the end of his gloves... There was a chance that this wouldn't work, a chance that he truly was helpless even with the suit, but he pushed those thoughts away. He couldn't afford to think like that. The enhanced seemed to follow that mindset, but he couldn't. This was his one chance, he couldn't throw it away.

Pulling the sleeve as far as he could on his hand, he felt for the web triggers and aimed. Her smirk stayed the same and that was just what Peter wanted to wipe off first. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Peter pressed down on the trigger.

A quiet grunt met his ears, causing the child to immediately open his eyes and see that his webs hit their mark - right in the center of the woman's face. A large grin spread across Peter's as he started to fire off more webs to her, pinning her arms to her side and blocking out her vision; it wasn't long before she was completely covered in webs and couldn't move.

With a triumphant nod, Peter gathered as much of his suit as he could and stumbled towards the police officer getting chased by a clown. His legs were way too small for his liking... How did kids manage to walk with legs this small - let alone run? It didn't help at all that Peter's spider ability to stick to things was gone now, making him realize how much he relied on it to not trip.

By some miracle though, he was able to stop the clown and bees with very little maneuvering. Peter had no idea what he would do if those Fears had decided to chase him as well... But once the Fears were immobilized, they disappeared into a puff of smoke and the police officers that were plagued by them promptly passed out.

Surveying the scene and seeing not much else for him to do, Peter turned to leave down the dark alley the enhanced came from. It wouldn't be long before some of the Avengers would be arriving, some kind of protocol had to have gone off by now... And Peter really didn't want to stick around to hear their laughter at his situation. He was an emotional child the first time, Peter really didn't want to find out if that were true for a second time around.

Holding the suit around himself as best he could, Peter hobbled off to the darkness. He wasn't sure exactly what he would be able to do to get back to normal, but he'd think of something-

"Peter?"

The boy's eyes widened as he froze, swallowing deeply. Of all the heroes that had to come check on his fight, it had to be _him_. Why couldn't Mr. Stark be overprotective just this once?

Clearing his throat and doing his best to deepen it to a normal level, Peter called back from the shadows of the alley. "Yeah, what is it?"

It was silent for a moment before Loki let out a small and guarded chuckle, "You're still angry?"

There it was... That condescending voice he used during the argument. The voice that Peter hated more than anything. "No more than you."

"I'm not angry."

"Then neither am I," Peter turned, seeing the perfect opportunity to leave dramatically - but Loki's voice stopped him again.

"If you weren't angry, then you wouldn't be hiding in the shadows. If you're so eager to prove yourself an adult, come out."

Peter took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he tried to stay calm. Loki was pushing him... bringing him closer to the brink of another fight. If their first fight riled him up so badly, Peter feared what would happen after a second one. "I am proving my adulting by not lowering myself to petty taunts. I got the enhanced for you, I have other places to be, so why don't we just do what we do best and mind our own business?"

Not to mention that Peter would never hear the end of it if Loki found out he was currently a child. Nor would any of the other Avengers... His best bet was to get to Dr. Banner, the man was probably going to be the most level headed one in this kind of situation.

"Peter, please."

Surprisingly, that was all it took for Peter to regret every decision that brought him to this moment. Loki's voice wasn't dramatic, it wasn't loud or begging or condescending... It was normal, maybe sounding exasperated to any one else. But Peter knew Loki better than that; Peter could hear the underlying desperation in his voice that was fighting through so many layers of pride and demanding to be heard. He heard the desperation and hurt and loneliness in Loki's voice, knowing that's just what it was because Peter felt it too.

The two of them had spent so much time together that it was unnatural for them to be apart now...

Peter heaved a sigh as he shuffled back towards the end of the alley, "Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh."

He could see Loki blink in confusion before nodding, "Alright..."

Hesitating for just a moment, Peter stepped out of the shadows, allowing the man to see him. They both stood there in silence for a minute or so, Loki's face unreadable. As the silence grew between them, Peter found himself awkwardly shuffling his weight from one leg to the other. He had expected the man to laugh, to make some witty remark, a smile at least...! Not... whatever this was.

It was a few minutes before Loki actually responded, his eyes blinking him out of whatever thought he had been in, "You're a... child."

The boy nodded slightly, looking at his feet. "Her power was to make people's fears come true... You know how much I hate being looked down on because of my age, and after... last week... It got a lot worse. I still managed to take her down though, as well as stop two of the Fears that were running around! I was powerless and a child and I still stopped them! So you and the others can't say I'm useless anymore!"

What was remaining of Loki's shock melted away at Peter's final words, his eyes narrowing and eyebrows pushing together. "Peter... I never called you useless, nor have any of the other Avengers. We would never call you that."

"Well that's what it feels like you mean when you order me out of a fight because I'm a child...!"

Loki let out a sigh, glancing away from the small child and shaking his head slightly. "That's not why I did that."

"Then why?" Peter almost threw his hands in the air, but he really needed them both to hold his suit up. "Why didn't you want me to fight after I got hit?"

The man's eyes narrowed more, glaring at a rock on the ground. To a stranger, it would seem as if Loki was refusing to talk; but Peter knew better, he knew that Loki was battling with something inside his head. Whether it be how to tell him, or if he should tell him, Peter didn't know that much. But he knew that he had to wait for the outcome.

When Loki drew in a deep breath a minute later, Peter knew he would have his answer.

"I grew up on a planet of warriors, most of them didn't like me so I didn't really care if they were hurt... But they were trained to kill since birth, the wounds they received would normally kill a human. I have not been genuinely concerned for another's well being for a long time, Peter..." Loki let out another sigh, "But then I met you, and your cheery attitude is surprisingly nice company. We are together almost every day, you've shown me so much about this world, this city... You have become so involved in my life that I can no longer imagine myself without your constant chatter; and I don't know how I feel about that.

"The thought of you injured freezes my chest and halts my breath, the thought of you dying nearly renders me unconscious. There are nights when I am plagued by nightmares of your death, pushing yourself into exhaustion or refusing help to fight a villain much too powerful... I have never been so attached to a person before to actually blanch in fear their death. Seeing you get hit by the last enhance just reminded me too much of a dream I had of your death, I couldn't process anything properly.

Loki looked at him, his green eyes holding an emotion that caused Peter to nearly step back. "Your fear is being a child, my fear is your death."

Silence fell over them once again, both of them absorbing what had just been said. Peter honestly felt bad now, because of course Loki wouldn't suddenly start treating him like a child with no reason. Peter knew the man better than that. There was a reason to everything Loki did, and Peter was too blinded by anger to see that...

Loki's expression nearly had Peter's child-like emotions spill out, causing the boy to awkwardly run over to him, tripping occasionally on the spider-suit, and hug his leg. He hated the fact that his head only came up to the man's knee... But he would ignore it in the name of comfort for now.

Loki stiffened slightly, gazing down at the small Peter with caution and confusion before reaching down to lift the boy up into his arms and allow him a proper hug. Peter's arms wrapped tightly around Loki's neck, his face burying into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." Peter muttered, "I didn't know... I should have, but I didn't. I'll try not to make you worry like that again. I'll do my best to be safer."

Loki patted his back gently, slowly relaxing to the child's touch, "How could you have known? Are you secretly a mind reader now?"

Peter let out a small chuckle and shook his head, "No, but I do know you."

It took the man a moment to process that Peter did, in fact, know him just as well as Thor after their time together. He felt himself grow impossibly more attached to the boy...

"Now," Peter grinned, sitting up a bit, "let's go find a way to turn me back!"

A smirk slowly pulled at Loki's lips, raising an eyebrow at him. "Must we? I kind of like you this size, child."

"Hey...!"

 **A/N: Some of you may have noticed the latest announcements in the summaries and titles for the last few weeks, but requests are now CLOSED! As my university start date gets closer, I'm worried I won't get to everyone in time. So until further notice (meaning when I actually say so/the announcements are taken down) I won't be taking anymore requests.**

 **Classes start on the 12th this month, and if it's anything like last year, I'll only have Monday and part of Tuesday free. And as a cosplayer/crafter/small business owner/anime convention goer, my time is going to be divided up really thin... I don't have any promises about when posting will be happening again, but just know that I'm always thinking about this story! My birthday is the 30th this month, so I'm really going to TRY to get something out for that!**

 **Until then, I'm wishing you all the best for the new year!**


	28. Lokison 2 point 0

_"Please seek shelter immediately, this is not a drill. Aliens are attacking Manhattan, I repeat, aliens are attacking Manhattan-"_

"Peter, turn that off!" May's voice called, her stress bringing the pitch up to a point that Peter nearly flinched - but obeyed her nonetheless.

He got up from his place on the sofa and went to watch his aunt stuff as many things into a box as she could, the panic and fear almost causing the tears to escape her wet eyes. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, to hug her and promise to protect her from any harm; he would be a super hero for her, just like Iron Man! But he couldn't... not now anyway. When he had gone to hug her before, she had snapped at him and told him to pack his room.

But Peter didn't want to move, he had friends here, he liked his school here... Why did they have to move just because of some aliens? Iron Man would save the day-

"Peter!" May's voice caused him to jump, looking at her with wide eyes. "I thought I told you to go pack...! We need to leave soon!"

"But I don't want to go...!" Peter whined, "I want to stay. And what about Uncle Ben? He still hasn't come home yet, we can't leave without him...!"

"We aren't leaving without him, sweetie." May rushed over to him, cupping Peter's face in her shaking hands, "But we need to leave. You won't understand, but we need to."

Peter pouted, but May simply turned him around and patted his back in the direction of his room, "Now go, or I won't take you to that science expo thing next month."

The boy's eyes widened as he turned and quickly started running to his room, but paused in the hall. He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt... _something_ pulling him towards the apartment door. It was like a magnet, drawing him in. Peter couldn't stop himself from approaching the door, staring at it with curiosity.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone knocked on it, whatever trace over him broken by the noise.

"Ben...!" May cheered, rushing to the door, sending Peter a look as she passed him and threw the barrier open and proceeded to jump at the man on the other side.

Peter would have found it funny had he not been so confused. The man standing on the other side of the door was definitely not Uncle Ben (why May thought the man would knock to enter his own apartment, Peter wouldn't know) and May had realized that almost too late. She was nearly in his arms when she caught herself, backpedaling into the wall so fast she almost tripped over herself.

The man spared her a small glance before looking to Peter, the boy swearing that a shock had gone through him when they met eyes. He had the brightest green eyes that Peter had ever seen, a matching green scarf under his suit jacket. His black hair was slicked back in a way that reminded Peter of the politicians Ben hated... but it looked cool on this man. Everything about this man looked cool.

"You..." May's voice came out breathless, grabbing Peter's arm and pushing him behind her. "What are you doing here...?"

A smirk pulled at the man's face, his head tilting just slightly, "I think you know why, or you wouldn't be hiding him now."

"You can't have him!"

A sigh passed the man's lips, his eyes rolling dramatically. "I'm not going to take him from you, do you really think I'm in any way capable of caring for a child at the moment?" Those green eyes glanced to Peter again, "I just want to meet him."

May stood her ground, but Peter felt the pull towards this man again and stepped out from behind her. She tried to grab him again, but Peter moved just out of her reach and up to the man. His face was straight and serious, the smirk from earlier long gone, but Peter saw something in the man's eyes that chased out any fear he had.

Smiling brightly, Peter held his hand out, "I'm Peter, nice to meet you!"

It was still for a moment, the green eyes scanning over the boy's small frame. But then a smile of his own, much smaller than Peter's, spread across his face as he knelt down and took his hand, "Loki of Asgard... The feeling's mutual."

That was Peter's first and only encounter with his father in his childhood.

Loki had stayed with them for a short time upon Peter's insistence, the two of them getting to know each other before he had to leave again. He didn't tell Peter at the time why he had to leave, but the boy eventually figured it out later when Loki appeared on the news with the Avengers, the anchorman stating that he had been captured by Thor and would be put in prison on Asgard. Peter cried himself to sleep that night.

Two years had passed with no contact from him, but Peter still held onto the belief that Loki was a good man. The world hated him for what he did to New York, but if there was one thing Peter knew in his not-so-simple life, one thing he was sure of, it was that his dad was awesome. No one believed him, and the adults and kids would yell at him if he ever said so aloud, but Peter knew in his heart that his dad was the best.

It wasn't just fascination like May claimed; stating that Peter loved his dad so unconditionally just because he had only met him that once... It wasn't true. Sure, as a child he had stayed up many nights wondering what the man was like. His mother had died when he was too young to remember, unable to tell him about his dad; May and Ben weren't exactly fond of the man and tried to avoid the subject, telling him that Peter would know when he was older. But now Peter knew him...! He even talked with him! That was more than anything he had ever hoped for. And he kept his fingers crossed that one day they would meet again.

Then he was on the morning news again. Dark Elves had tried attacking London, and Loki and Thor were seen working together to stop them from whatever evil plan they had. The two had both risked their lives to save the universe and each other, the various medias suddenly singing Loki's praises.

Peter had stayed home from school that day, waiting by the door in anticipation for a visit. His dad was out of alien prison and back on Earth, surely he would want to visit!

Or not... Peter waited three days before giving up hope on Loki visiting. He was probably busy... He was a hero now and that required a lot of time dedicated to... something else.

Now, at the new age of fourteen, Peter was hoping beyond hope that Loki would come back for him. Thor had been living happily on Earth, so surely Loki would want to visit his brother and son? Did Thor even know that Peter existed? Or was he just a mistake that Loki wanted to keep hidden?

With Peter's new spider-like powers and the death of Uncle Ben combined, the boy felt as if he was slowly unraveling at the seams. May cried almost every night, unknowing to the fact that the reason for her husband's death was in the room next to hers.

Every passing day of seeing May's puffy face in the early morning and hearing her cries at night were pushing Peter to a breaking point he didn't know he had, a coldness filling him more and more each day. And he couldn't escape from it... His hearing wouldn't allow the pillow over his head to block out the noise and his eyes couldn't help but see every little detail on her face - every new wrinkle on her forehead and redness in her eyes or on her cheeks, he wanted to just run away from it all...!

"Peter," May chided, causing the boy to pause on his way out the door, "You have to eat before school."

"I'm not hungry." That was a lie, he was starving. But he didn't want to stay in the small apartment any longer than he had to.

"That's a load of bull and you know it." She slammed a palm against the kitchen counter, the sharp and unexpected noise causing him to flinch. "Peter, tell me what's going on with you. You've been acting strange lately, even before Ben-" She cut herself off, swallowing thickly. "You're not the same and you're getting worse. You need to tell me what's happening."

"I can't; I'm going to be late, May," He adjusted his backpack, quickly walking towards the door. The familiar cold started to seep into him, numbing his fingers that tightly gripped his shoulder strap.

He heard her frustrated sigh and footsteps behind him, but he didn't expect her hand to grab his shoulder and yank him around. His eyes were wide as he stared at her. "Peter-"

"Leave me _alone_!" Tears burned his eyes as he swiped his arm at her, knocking her hand off of him. A wave of cold rushed over and around him, the sound of cracking ice taking over his hearing for a second, leaving him breathless and with a pounding headache.

May's small gasp, her voice hitching in her throat and almost sounding scared, pulled Peter back, his eyes opening (when had they closed?) and elicited a gasp of his own at the sight before him.

The room had a red haze to it that was quickly going away, allowing his perfect vision to see the large ice spikes sticking out of the walls and floor. Their shining edges were sharp and deadly, more than one of them outlining May's figure against the wall. One had gone through the baggy part of her shirt, probably just missing her stomach; another had landed a hair too close to her neck, a thin line of blood starting to form.

He had hurt her. He had hurt May - with his own powers! Granted, he didn't know he had these powers, but who else's could they be? It was his fault, it was always his fault!

"Peter...?" Her quiet voice pulled him from his thoughts once again, awakening him to the fact that he was still there.

He needed to leave. He _really_ needed to leave.

Turning on his heel, he yanked open the door - breaking it off the hinges in the process - and ran out, doing his best to block out his aunt's cries of his name.

 **_Lokison_Linebreak_**

"Prince Loki," A guard announced, drawing the attention of the Asgardian nobles, "Heimdall requests your presence at the Bifrost."

Loki's brows furrowed slightly for just a second before standing from the table next to Odin, only one thought in his head for Heimdall's sudden calling. A few of the warriors present hid chuckles, though Loki now knew they meant no harm or ill will towards him. Though even if they did, he was past the point in caring.

He left the room with a half thought excuse tossed over his shoulder as he made the long trip to the Bifrost, his worry for Peter barely contained. It was the only explanation that would warrant this, something must have happened to the boy. Loki didn't know he could feel an emotion like this, never had he before. It might have had something to do with him not checking in on the boy in the last few weeks, each passing day without a visit to Heimdall was another that Loki loathed and the feeling in his chest grew. Before negotiations with the Frost Giants had started to take the Prince's time, the Heimdall had claimed that Loki was worse than Thor when it came to checking on Midgard.

Striding into the domed structure, Loki went to stand next to the man expectantly. "Has something happened?"

"He has not been doing well during your absence," Was the solemn reply, golden eyes not moving from their gaze into the universe. "I fear you may need to take action."

Loki's own eyes widened slightly, his brows pushing together, "It is truly that bad?"

"It would appear that he has inherited your Jotun blood and has nearly just killed his aunt in an outburst, among other things."

"Alright," Taking less than a moment to consider it, Loki nodded once, "I will go."

The dark man nodded in return as he went to power the Bifrost, soon enveloping Loki in the colorful array of lights. He barely had time to think about what he would even say to the boy after all the years that passed, because surely Peter wouldn't open up so easily to a stranger he had met once. He would have to think of something soon though...

Loki landed in the parking lot of an abandoned building, the sounds of cracking ice and faint crying immediately catching his attention. Was Peter truly hurting so much from this? It wasn't as if he didn't know his heritage wasn't completely human for the last four years, he shouldn't have been so shocked, should he?

Briskly walking into the building, following the sounds to find Peter, Loki noticed the hall walls coated in frost that was steadily growing thicker the closer he got. It was fairly obvious that Peter had lost control of his abilities, but to be able to do this much so soon... Loki would have been impressed if his concern for the boy wasn't so prominent.

It was almost laughable, really. Loki, Prince of Asgard, rightful ruler of Jotunheim, was concerned over a child. He hadn't intended to get so attached to the boy, he only wanted to look at him and see what he had unintentionally created on this planet. But the way that Peter had smiled at him, had pulled him into the home and talked with him so carelessly, Loki couldn't help but let the bond of parent and child grow between them. For the two years that he was in prison on Asgard, Peter was all he could think about, and he wanted nothing more to find the boy after he was released. But he couldn't. Loki knew that he couldn't... Peter's life on Midgard did not involve Loki, he was happy without him. And that's what Loki accepted no matter his own feelings. Thor would laugh if he knew...

Holding his shoulders back, Loki straightened himself as he neared the top floor. The frost on the walls had spread to the floor and formed a thick layer of ice, any normal person would have fallen once they step foot onto the sleek surface. Loki, however, was not normal and easily strode across.

Opening the last door on the final floor, Loki found Peter huddled in the furthest corner. The amount of ice encasing the room left a blue haze to everything, thickest around the boy's form, but it did nothing to mask Peter's blue skin-

-Or his red eyes as his head snapped up to look at him.

"Peter," Loki greeted somewhat mutely, carefully taking in the boy's shocked expression as he took another step into the room.

"It's you... You're here..." His voice was soft, barely above a whisper as a flash of something filled his eyes - hope? Peter was hopeful now that Loki was here? The man couldn't understand it, they had met once, Loki was practically a stranger to Peter... Why would he be hopeful at Loki's arrival?

Taking another step forward, that hope left and was replaced by fear. Peter pushed himself further into the corner and shook his head frantically, "S-Stop, you can't come any closer! I might hurt you!"

Loki blinked once before a small chuckle left him, walking forward slowly again. "You're welcomed to try; you aren't the first to threaten me, and by beings far more powerful than you, and even they are hardly able to succeed."

The teasing jab was responded with tears starting to roll down Peter's cheeks, his eyes jumped around the room before looking back up at the man. "I don't understand what's happening... I don't... I- What's happening to me? First the spider and now this? Is something wrong with me? Am I- I don't understand...!"

Loki took a breath as he knelt down in front of him, "Look at me, Peter." Waiting until he had the boy's full attention, Loki let his own illusion fall away to show his true Jotun form. "What's happening to you now is because you're part Jotun, part Frost Giant, like me. This is your heritage. I didn't know that you would lose control like this, I wasn't aware that this was something that control could even be lost over, but I can teach you not to fear it."

The hope in his eyes returned, unfolding himself slightly as he looked up at him. "Really...? I won't hurt anyone if you teach me, right?"

With a nod of his head, Loki held his hand out, "That's correct."

Their eyes were locked for a short while, Peter hesitating slightly before reaching out and placing his small hand into Loki's larger one. As soon as their skins touched, a green flash went over them both and left behind human appearances once more. Peter inspected every part of his arms and hands to make sure that there was no blue left before looking at Loki with a relieved smile.

"It's gone...! That was awesome, how did you do that?"

Loki took in the boy's appearance, his red and puffy tear-stained cheeks but with a small, excited smile dancing across his face. "Years of my mother's teachings... Her tricks have helped me a great deal in the past." Loki's eyes took a faraway look that Peter knew too well before clearing his throat and looking back at the boy, "I can show you how to control all that you're struggling with now, as well as other things. But it will take time and patience..."

"Yes," Peter's answer was instant, his eyes locking with Loki's. "I want to learn, I don't want to be a danger to anyone."

A small smirk pulled at the man's lips as he nodded, "Very well; we shall meet here once a week for your training. I will teach you all that I know, don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Peter grinned wide, his heart racing in his chest as the thought of spending time with this man - learning from him, being near him - filled his head. Growing up, all Peter wanted was to be able to know his parents... Being too young to remember his mother or step dad, May and Ben were all that he could rely on. But now Peter was no longer an orphan! His dad was alive and willing to teach him things that only he knew! Peter had never even hoped to dream of such a thing happening.

It was just bonus points when Loki was revealed to be a surprisingly excellent teacher, explaining things perfectly enough that Peter was able to willingly freeze a small rock in his hand after the second week; though he still had a problem with outbursts and turning blue when using his ice powers, he wasn't as scared of hurting May now.

With each new week, each new meeting, Peter let himself dare to hope; hope that he would finally be able to have a somewhat normal relationship with his dad like the other teens at his school. Peter, at the moment, wouldn't dare call Loki his dad, it was just too weird to even think of - but he had hope.

He had decided not to tell Loki about the spider bite, the man already had his hands full with Peter's frosty abilities, he didn't need to be concerned over Peter's vigilante activities... Which might have been a mistake when _the_ Tony Stark came to his apartment and offered him a spot in an Avengers fight. Peter hated the thought of lying to Loki, but he knew the man wouldn't allow him to go running off to fight with the Avengers... So he made up a story about his school going away for a week - because he knew Loki would suspect something if he used the 'Stark Internship' excuse.

It felt horrible and awful and Peter hated it, he wanted nothing more than to tell Loki what he had done - that he was in his first major fight and actually did a somewhat decent job in it. That he actually managed to steal Captain America's shield! But he knew that he would never be able to... Not anytime soon, anyway.

Because if there was one thing he learned during his training, it was that Loki worried. A lot.

He had tried hiding it, starting Peter's training out hard and pushing him to his limits. Peter honestly felt as if he was dying... And when he lost control during that second week, sending out an ice blast that froze the entire room over, Peter saw the change in his eyes. He saw the concern that slipped through the man's cold mask, realizing that both Loki and Peter himself were pushing his abilities too much. After that, Loki forced him to stop multiple times during one training session, or threatened to randomly drop it to make sure Peter wasn't doing more harm than good. And, Lord... when he discovered that Peter would sometimes skip breakfast to meet with him and train, Loki would give him that _knowing_ look of ice and take him out to eat.

If Loki ever found out that Peter was Spider-Man... a frozen hell would probably break loose.

Smiling to himself, watching as Loki instructed him of how to form his first illusion, Peter wasn't too worried about the future or Spider-Man. Because inside this frozen building, it was just Peter and Loki - not Spider-Man and The Prince of Asgard. There were no titles or worries or anything that could disrupt them. Just a father and son learning their place with each other.

And Peter was more than okay with that.

 **A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Here is my present to you! Since everyone really seemed to like the first Lokison AU, I decided reimagine it and bring in a second meeting for the two! I don't know which version I like more… Probably both of them XD**

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A grunt left Peter as he hit the roof of a building, rolling along the rocky surface until he hit the edge a little too hard for his own liking. Drawing in a shaky breath, he tried to push himself up but that only resulted in a sharp pain in his ribs that he quickly curled in on himself to stop.

Perhaps the Green Goblin was too much of a challenge for him... The idea of calling Mr. Stark for help crossed his mind for a second, but Peter shook it away. He couldn't call for help, he'd seem too weak and then Mr. Stark would never let him do anything again. He defeated the Vulture, the Green Goblin couldn't be that much worse.

That wicked laugh filled the air, Peter's senses going on high alert as he forced himself up through the pain and prepared for the attack.

" _Peter, you have multiple bone fractures throughout your body_ ," Karen claimed, " _I would suggest calling for medical assistance very soon_."

"Alright," Peter let out a sigh, "But I have to finish this fight first...!"

" _Impact imminent, you should definitely move soon_."

Peter's lenses widened as he quickly spun around, seeing a flash of green and that wicked laugh. It was too close, he couldn't dodge - he closed his eyes and braced for impact.

After a second with no pain and a grunt from the Goblin, Peter peeked out of one eye, seeing the Goblin just in front of him with a hand outstretched to his face. Peter let out a small yelp as he jumped back, only to hit a solid wall behind him that definitely wasn't there before.

As he was starting to turn around, he noticed from the corner of his eye a hand that was tightly gripping the Goblin's arm, a smooth black sleeve covering the pale skin. Peter swallowed thickly as he slowly turned, coming face to face with a very angry Loki.

"What the hell-"

Loki's green eyes hardened at the Green Goblin, his other hand bringing out a dagger that effortlessly cut through his glider before throwing man and machine away to fall out of the sky and to the streets below.

Peter watched, grimacing slightly as the green shape quickly disappeared between the buildings. That wasn't going to mean anything well for him next time...

In a swift movement, the world was suddenly so much brighter as his mask was pulled off his head. A low groan left Peter as he tightly closed his eyes, flinching under the sun and holding a hand up to block it out.

"Peter," Loki's voice was clipped, the boy flinching even more at the amount of restrained emotion that was hiding in it. "Care to tell me what is the meaning of this?"

Doing his best to relax and look up at him, Peter gave a sheepish grin. "Not really, no... Honestly, I'd kinda rather face the Green Goblin again..."

Loki hummed, nodding slightly as a small smirk tugged his lips upward. Peter knew better than to trust that smirk though... If anything, that smirk only meant he was in even more trouble.

"I bet you would... Unfortunately for you, that's not going to happen." Loki's arms crossed, mask still held tightly in his fist. "Now _kindly_ explain to me what just happened."

Yeah... Peter would definitely rather face the Green Goblin again...


	29. Basically My Mom

**Requested by Belbelanne on FFN. Slightly AU, Loki didn't fake his death in The Dark World and Ragnarok/Infinity War/Endgame never happened.**

Peter bounced excitedly in his seat on the Quin Jet, having given up trying to sit still a long time ago like the others suggested. How could he contain himself when this mission took him off of Earth? It was silly of the _adults_ to think that he wouldn't be jumping for joy the moment they told him about it.

"We're almost at the landing point," Tony commented, flipping a few switches on the jet as it started to lower towards the ground.

"I still do not understand why we must come all the way out here," Thor frowned, idly tossing his hammer around in his hand. "We have left from the Compound before, why not now?"

"Because," Tony turned in his seat to send the golden man a pointed look, "you are one burnt grass circle away from having the maintenance workers plan your murder. And as interesting as that would be, I really don't want to deal with whatever repercussions come from having Earthlings trying to kill the crown princes of an alien race."

The chuckle of the Asgardian warrior sitting next to Thor caught Peter's attention, the man - Fandral - shaking his head slightly. "They would be welcomed to try, but I doubt that a mere Midgardian would be enough to seriously pose threat enough for war."

"You haven't met our gardeners."

Peter let out a chuckle of his own as he glanced to his right, taking in Loki's quiet appearance as he read his book. While the man had been regarded as a hero after the battle with the Dark Elves and he was cleared of all his crimes, Peter knew there must have been some hostility left between the golden alien race and their prince. Given the way that Thor would visit his home world once every few months while Loki stayed very firmly rooted to the Avenger's Compound or patrols with Peter through NYC, it wasn't hard to guess.

But Odin had ordered the brothers back to fight against some new force that threatened that side of the universe. It was supposed to just be them (and the warrior/messenger Fandral) to return through the Bifrost, but Thor had asked Tony for permission to take Peter along as well. Peter had no idea what he said to convince Mr. Stark to allow him to go with the Asgardians, but the night before they left, Thor had brought the offer to Peter.

Of course Peter immediately accepted.

Loki, on the other hand, was not as thrilled... Finding out last minute, he had tried to deny Peter access, but with everyone going for it, Loki really couldn't argue. So for the full five minute flight to the middle of the woods, Loki isolated himself from everyone by reading his book.

Peter felt kinda bad for going against Loki, but he knew why the Asgardians needed him to go with them. Because while Loki was somewhat good on Earth, putting him back on Asgard was a wild card. It was no secret that the real reason Loki was so loyal with the Avengers was because that's where Peter's loyalties were; but even if Loki and Thor were closer than before, they all knew it wasn't enough to keep Loki on their side through the fight to come. And Peter really didn't want to lose his best friend to a space prison...

So Peter reluctantly put up with Loki's silent treatment as they descended to the landing zone for the Asgardians' Bifrost. He was mad now, but Peter knew he wouldn't stay that way the entire time. Hopefully...

Once the jet was landed safely and the ramp lowered, Peter picked up his bag of spare clothes and homework. He wasn't exactly sure how long they would be in space, but he was prepared for it all.

Looking at the Bifrost impression that was burned into the ground, however, caused Peter's heart to hammer in his chest. He had never been to space before, let alone an alien portal/bridge thing... He could only imagine what it would be like... Was there going to be oxygen? Would he have to hold his breath? What if he got sick from it? What if he threw up on the other side? Could he fall out if he wasn't careful? How long would it be? Would he need to use the bathroom before going? But there weren't any bathrooms nearby...

A heavy hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present; he looked up to see Thor smiling at him.

"Fear not, young Peter, almost everyone makes it safely through the Bifrost."

"Oh, that's great- wait..." Peter's eyes widened as he watched the man walk ahead, "What do you mean 'almost everyone'? Mr. Thor? What does that mean? What are the percentages for that statement?"

As the one who suggested Peter go along, Thor was not doing a good job of making him want to stay on the mission... A chuckle from Loki reminded him of why he needed to though, so with the bravest face he could, Peter marched on as well.

Besides, if something bad really did happen, Peter had confidence that Loki or Thor would save him.

"Alright, everyone," Fandral called from the center of the circle, "It's time to go up. The lovely courts of war are waiting for us."

Peter took a deep breath before going to stand near the three men as well. "Bye, Mr. Stark!" He sent a wave to the man, smiling wide and hoping that no one noticed his shaking hands.

"Relax," Loki whispered, leaning towards him slightly. "Thor was joking earlier."

A small sigh left Peter as he nodded a bit, relief flooding over him just as Thor called out and a flash of light came over them.

Peter had no idea how to describe it, he could actually _feel_ every fiber of his being moving through the space, he could hear sonic echoes of each planet they passed, he could even - he could even freaking smell the galaxy! It smelled nothing like what the galaxy soaps in bath stores smelled like!

All too soon, he was standing on solid ground again, inside of a golden domed building with a tall man in gold giving him a small smile. "Welcome to Asgard, Peter Parker."

"Whoa..." Peter gave a breathless chuckle as he nodded at the golden man, a wave of cold washing over him and sending him to his knees. He faintly heard the others call his name, but they sounded muted and far away. Loki's worried face was the last thing he saw before his world went dark.

"Peter?" Loki's eyes widened as he saw the boy go down to his knees, quickly moving to catch him before he face planted into the ground. "Peter, wake up!" He gently patted the boy's cheek, his other hand shaking his shoulder lightly in an attempt to rouse Peter.

He decided to stop when blood started to freely drip from his nose.

"We need to get him to a healer," Loki glanced up to lock eyes with Thor, the larger man clearly worried as he hovered nearby. "The trip here most likely disturbed his senses; the healers should be able to fix it much faster than Peter's own healing factor."

"I'll go alert the healers," Thor nodded to himself quickly before running off to the healing rooms, leaving Loki, Heimdall, and Fandral at the Bifrost.

Loki was very aware of Fandral and Heimdall's eyes on him as he picked Peter up and began to walk down the long bridge - he suddenly remembered how much he sincerely disliked the length of this bridge... He understood why the Bifrost had to be so far out, but why did they not have carriers set up nearby so that every poor soul that just appeared on Asgard didn't have to be tortured with such a long walk? It was especially dangerous for missions; someone could get hurt and be forced to wait even longer for medical care! Like Peter was now! It was absolutely ridiculous...!

"I should alert the Allfather that we've arrived..." Fandral commented once they reached the end of the bridge, nodding briefly to Loki before turning a different way to the palace. Loki couldn't help a smirk from crawling on his face; Fandral didn't like emotions, aside from loyalty and friendship, anything else he felt was useless. Loki could understand him the most out of Thor's friends... But for Fandral to see Loki actually caring for a human boy, the thoughts going through his mind must have been interesting.

"Brother!" Thor called, waving to Loki through the door to the healing room. "We have prepared a room just for Peter, the healers are ready for him now!"

A small chuckle left Loki as he went to the room, laying Peter down on the table. As worried as he was for the motionless boy, Thor still managed to show it the most...

The brothers stood near the wall as the Soul Forge lit up, the golden dust moving and highlighting parts of Peter's body in the air - namely his head, which Loki did not like at all.

"This is my fault..." Thor sighed under his breath. "I should not have invited him, I did not even think about his heightened senses and what affect the Bifrost would have on him."

"You're right," Loki kept his eyes on Peter, ignoring the hurt look that crossed Thor's face. "You shouldn't have invited him, but not because of this. Peter is strong, he'll survive this after a few minutes. You shouldn't have invited him because whatever mission Odin set for us is bound to be dangerous, if all his armies and power can't stop it. The most Peter has ever faced is an old human with fake wings, no epic battles in space; he is not ready for anything of this sort. You are fond of him, I know, but it would have been better if you would have just left him on Earth."

It was quiet between them for a while, only the quiet mutterings of the healers among themselves keeping the silence from becoming deafening. But then Thor gave out a small chuckle and patted his brother's shoulder.

"If that is what you truly think, then perhaps you don't know Peter as well as you think."

Loki's brows pushed together, his mouth opening to retort, when the head healer stepped toward them and drew both of their attention to her.

"The boy will be just fine," She announced with a small smile. "He was simply overwhelmed by the power of the Bifrost, as many young ones are. After a little rest, he will be completely fine."

Thor let out a loud breath of relief, smiling brightly. "That is good to hear, then we can go meet with father and he should be awake, correct?"

At her nod, Thor smiled more and sent one final look to Peter before heading towards the door. When he didn't hear Loki's footfalls behind him, he stopped. "Brother?"

"Is it really necessary for me to tag along?" Mischief was prominent in Loki's green eyes, a devilish smirk on his lips. "You are the heir to the throne, after all, you don't really need me there."

"Loki..." Thor frowned and shook his head, "If you do not at least greet the Allfather, then he'll come looking for you. Do you really want him to meet Peter while he's like this?"

That smirk was wiped away, Loki's fist clenching slightly as he pushed off the wall, marching out of the room without a word. Thor's smile was soft and sympathetic as he followed.

The head healer watched the brother's interaction with a curious gaze, glancing to the boy on her table. Hulda was only a few years older than the boys, having spent most of her life watching them bicker and play. She had seen the way they both changed after Loki's betrayal, the pain in both of their eyes... Frigga had even appointed Hulda as Loki's healer should he ever become injured while in prison, often sending her to make sure the trickster was eating properly.

While Hulda had seen the small changes in Thor when he would visit occasionally, this was her first time witnessing just how much - both of them in fact. Loki's personality was hardly recognizable now, a maturity in his expression that she didn't know existed in him.

Looking back to the unconscious boy, she smiled softly. This child must be truly special to be able to tame the hearts of the Odinsons.

No sooner had she thought that, the boy was jumping off of the table and latching onto the ceiling.

"What's going on?" He asked, his breathing heavy. "Where am I? Where's Loki? Or Thor? What were you doing to me? Were you trying to put eggs in my chest? Please don't do that!"

Hulda's eyes widened as she raised her hands, shaking her head slightly. "No, we were doing nothing of the sort. Thor and Loki just left to meet with the Allfather, they said they'd return later when you were awake."

"Oh..." Peter blinked a few times, gathering his bearings in the somewhat dark room. "Oh, okay then." He dropped from the ceiling, landing in a crouch right in front of the woman, "Sorry if I startled you - I'm Peter, by the way."

He smiled and offered his hand out to her, which she slowly took and smiled back. "I'm Hulda, the head healer in charge of your care."

"Healer? You mean like a nurse?"

"Is that what they call it on Midgard?"

Peter chuckled a bit, "Yeah, I guess so." Peter glanced around the room again, "So... you said that Loki and Thor would be back soon?"

She smiled slightly and shook her head, "I'm sorry, we didn't realize that you would have woken up so soon, they left only a few minutes ago. It'll be at least an hour until they return from the war counsel."

"Ah, okay then," Peter nodded slowly. They were there to stop some intergalactic space threat thing, so it would make sense that they would have to go talk about battle strategies. Knowing Loki, the man would probably not let him fight in the actual battle, so Peter probably wouldn't be allowed to attend a war counsel... That meant he was stuck on an alien planet with plenty of time to himself - perfect for exploring!

"If you don't mind me asking..." Hulda started, capturing Peter's attention again, "Are you close with Thor and Loki?"

"Oh yeah, definitely!" Peter's smile was so wide and bright, the healer worried that she might go blind from it. "They're great, I'm really glad Thor wanted me to come!"

Hulda's head tilted slightly, "Just Thor...?"

"Well..." Peter gave a sheepish smile and shrug, "Don't tell him, but I'm here to keep Loki in line, actually. I don't think Loki will let me fight, he's too worried I'll get too badly hurt. Mr. Stark would probably kill us all if he found out I got hurt while over here."

"Oh really?" Her eyebrows rose as she blinked at him, "How so? Keeping Loki in line, I mean. Do you have a technique or something of the sort...?"

"Oh no," He shook his head. "Loki and I are pretty close, so Mr. Thor said that if I come along, then the chances of Loki's loyalties changing would be very small."

"That's not an easy task..."

"Nah, we spend a lot of time together. Loki and Mr. Thor are like family to me now, so it's really no work at all."

A fond smile crossed her face as she motioned for him to follow her into a side room that lead to a balcony outside. She sat down on a marble bench, patting the place next to her gently. "Tell me more, please."

It took Peter a moment, but he soon smiled and went to sit as well.

"You see, my parents died when I was pretty young... I barely remember them, and my aunt is great at what she does, really. I couldn't imagine my life without her. But she's my aunt, you know? I grew up calling her my aunt, thinking of her as my aunt... With as long as we've been together, I just can't... I don't know..."

"I understand," She gave him a small nod, and Peter felt his insecurities at the thought melt away as he continued with renewed confidence.

"But when I became Spider-Man and started hanging out with the Avengers, it's like I've gained this new family. I would never be able to tell any of them this, but they really act like a family to me. Mr. Stark - that's Iron Man, he's back on Earth - is like my cool dad that lets me eat junk food while staying up late with him in the labs on the weekends. Mr. Thor is like my jock uncle that teaches me new exercise stuff _and_ pays me to steal poptarts from the kitchen at night...! Loki..." Peter paused, laughing lightly, "Loki's basically my mom. He's responsible but fun, he makes sure I don't get hurt while also pulling pranks on the others with me. And he's amazing at telling stories, though I can only get him to do that when one of us is sick... But he just has this way of making his words come to life, like you're standing there in the story and experiencing it all with him! Like this one time when I was sick and couldn't sleep, Loki was taking care of me and I asked him to tell me about the most beautiful place he's ever been. He started telling me about when his mom took him to another world to learn her magic for the first time, and-"

Someone cleared their voice behind Peter, the boy jumping and spinning around. His eyes widened and his breath hitched when he saw a small crowd standing by the door; a grinning Thor, a pink-cheeked Loki, and a (presumably) blank faced Odin standing in the front.

"Oh crap..." Peter swallowed thickly as he scanned over all of their faces again, noting a few smirks coming from the guards behind the royals. That definitely meant they heard Peter describing them as family members... Great.

Odin slowly turned, looking to his sons and noticing the very different reactions from them. Thor seemed absolutely thrilled at the revelation, while Loki was doing his best to avoid eye contact with everyone.

"So this... is the Midgardian boy you have brought to help?" Odin asked, a single eyebrow rose as he looked back to Peter. "I was unaware you started a family on Midgard, Loki."

"No...!" Peter's eyes were wide, a dark blush covering his cheeks as he held a hand out and shook his head, "No, I didn't mean for it- He isn't really- I only meant that-"

Deciding that he had nothing better to come up with, Peter slowly closed his mouth and hung his head, unsure of how to get out of this situation. Thankfully, Loki always knew his way with words.

Clearing his throat lightly, Loki glanced to Odin. "I believe what Peter is trying to say is that I am _like_ a parental figure to him, not actually blood related."

"I see..." Odin eyed Peter up and down, the boy suddenly feeling very exposed under his gaze. "Come along then, boy. If you are well enough to reminisce, then you are well enough to walk with us to the war counsel."

Peter quickly nodded, running over to stand between Thor and Loki, sending a quick wave to Hulda.

The healer smiled as she watched Thor ruffle Peter's hair and Loki place a single hand on his shoulder and keep him close as they retreated back inside. She had been somewhat worried about them when they were all kids and how the princes would grow up, but she realized now that she had nothing to worry about. As long as that boy remained healthy and by their side, everything would be fine in the end.

 **A/N: Not that much of Odin... I'm sorry... I really don't like him that much, and I can't get a good grip of his character... But I hope you enjoyed this small chapter all the same!**

 **Guys... This is the 29th chapter... The next chapter is going to be the 30th... I can't- how did- What?**

 **Following in the footsteps of the 20th chapter, next update will be extra long! And possibly sad! I have an idea of what to do, hopefully I can add some nice things in it so that you all won't hate me too much... I don't know when it'll be posted, as you know I'm suffering through University now and there's so much writing I have to do... It's a miracle that I was able to complete this chapter when I did. But I hope that you all look forward to what I have planned next!**


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